Fig. 6.

Mean number of Sytox/cytokeratin 8-positive cells per taste bud in unoperated control mice (intact) and in the transected (ipsilateral cut) and intact (contralateral intact) sides of the tongue of mice 10 days after receiving chorda-lingual nerve transection. Taste buds on the transected side of the tongue had significantly fewer cells than those in control mice and on the intact side of the tongue at 10 days post-nerve transection (*P’s < 0.001). Also, the side of the tongue contralateral to the nerve transection had more mean taste buds compared to intact control mice (*P = 0.04).