Comparison of exonic and intronic Ct values in SONs from normosmotic and hyperosmotic animals. A, Average ± SEM Ct values for the intronic probe (pre-mRNA) were significantly different in SONs from normosmotic vs. the saline-injected animals, p<0.01, n=6. B, Exonic Ct values (mRNA) for both groups of animals were not significantly different. C, Comparison of two hypertonic stimulus intensities. The mild stimulus of an injection of 900 mOsm PBS solution increases VP transcription to 141% of control (p<0.05), and the stronger stimulus of a 2M NaCl injection increases VP transcription to over 406% of control values. The formula used for calculating transcription is described in the text.