TABLE 1.
Mean Number and Volume of Fungiform Taste Buds in Intact Mice and After Chorda-lingual Nerve Transection (CLX)
| Mean # of TBs | Mean TB Volume (× 104 µm3) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLX | SE | Sig | CLX | SE | Sig | Intact | SE | Sig | |
| Intact | |||||||||
| Anterior | 34.4 | 1.1 | N/A | N/A | 2.2 | 0.1 | |||
| Intermediate | 20.1 | 0.9 | N/A | N/A | 2.8 | 0.1 | |||
| Total | 54.6 | 1.1 | N/A | N/A | 2.5 | 0.0 | |||
| 5 Day CLX | |||||||||
| Anterior | 32.3 | 3.4 | 1.4 | 0.1 | * | 2.5 | 0.1 | * | |
| Intermediate | 12.5 | 2.5 | * | 1.4 | 0.1 | * | 3.1 | 0.1 | * |
| Total | 44.8 | 4.3 | * | 1.4 | 0.1 | * | 2.8 | 0.1 | * |
| 10 Day CLX | |||||||||
| Anterior | 26.0 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 0.1 | * | 2.9 | 0.1 | * | |
| Intermediate | 8.0 | 4.0 | * | 1.4 | 0.2 | * | 3.3 | 0.2 | * |
| Total | 34.0 | 4.0 | * | 1.4 | 0.1 | * | 3.1 | 0.1 | * |
| 15 Day CLX | |||||||||
| Anterior | 17.3 | 4.1 | * | 1.0 | 0.2 | * | 2.4 | 0.1 | |
| Intermediate | 0.0 | 0.0 | * | N/A | N/A | 2.6 | 0.1 | ||
| Total | 17.3 | 4.1 | * | 1.0 | 0.2 | * | 2.5 | 0.1 | |
| 20 Day CLX | |||||||||
| Anterior | 17.0 | 1.2 | * | 1.0 | 0.2 | * | 2.8 | 0.1 | * |
| Intermediate | 0.7 | 0.7 | * | 0.9 | 0.5 | * | 2.6 | 0.1 | |
| Total | 17.7 | 1.8 | * | 1.0 | 0.2 | * | 2.7 | 0.1 | * |
The mean number of taste buds decreases significantly after nerve transection. The decrease occurs sooner and more robustly in the posterior field than the anterior. By 15 days few taste buds remain on the posterior field. In intact animals taste buds on the anterior 1 mm of the tongue are smaller than more posterior taste buds (P < 0.05). Remaining fungiform taste buds after transection are smaller on the ipsilateral, transected side of the tongue, but increase in size on the side of the tongue contralateral to nerve transection. The plus (+) denotes a significant difference from corresponding lingual area (anterior or posterior) in intact mice (P < 0.05).