Table 3.
Branch order characteristics of medium spiny neurons from long-term sucrose and water drinking rats.
| Branch order properties | Water (9) | Sucrose (9) | Adjusted P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st order branch segments | 4.6±0.1 | 4.5±0.2 | P > 0.9999 |
| 1st order mean branch segment length (μm) | 25.9±3.5 | 31.4±2.8 | P > 0.9999 |
| 1st order branch spine density | 52.2±7.6 | 67.8±6.6 | P = 0.2129 |
| 2nd order branch segments | 8.5±0.3 | 7.7±0.3 | P > 0.9999 |
| 2nd order mean branch segment length (μm) | 65.2±6.0 | 68.0±6.8 | P > 0.9999 |
| 2nd order branch spine density | 41.3±3.6 | 45.5±3.2 | P > 0.9999 |
| 3rd order branch segments | 8.7±0.5 | 8.1±0.7 | P > 0.9999 |
| 3rd order mean branch segment length (μm) | 71.1±6.7 | 70.2±4.2 | P > 0.9999 |
| 3rd order branch spine density | 40.2±5.6 | 43.3±3.6 | P > 0.9999 |
| 4th order branch segments | 5.2±0.9 | 3.3±0.8 | P = 0.0675 |
| 4th order mean branch segment length (μm) | 56.9±6.6 | 41.6±5.1 | P = 0.3308 |
| 4th order and above branch spine density | 33.4±4.2 | 52.5±6.8 | P = 0.0271* |
| 5th order and above branch segments | 3.3±0.7 | 1.2±0.3 | P = 0.0566 |
| 5th order and above mean branch segment length (μm) | 53.9±7.2 | 24.1±7.5 | P = 0.0038** |
All data presented as mean ± SEM. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, two-way ANOVAs with Bonferroni's post-test. P-values for condition are **P = 0.0015 (segment number), *P = 0.0318 (mean segment length) and *P = 0.0124 (spine density).