Figure 4. Biallelic deletion of Nf1 gene in neuroglial precursor cells results in reduced USVs in pups.

Nf1^FF and Nf1^GFAPCKO littermates were evaluated for USVs during the first two weeks postnatal. A) Nf1^GFAPCKO produced significantly less USV calls during development compared to their control littermates, F(1,71) = 5.963, p = .017. B) The greatest difference in USVs occurred on P7, F(1,213) = 7.660, p = .006. All mice significantly increased USVs with age, F(2,142) = 8.742, p = .000. Within each genotype, control mice showed an increase in USVs, F(2,70) = 5.670, p = .005, from P5 to P7 (p < .05) and P9, although the difference from P9 did not reach statistical significance. The Nf1^GFAPCKO littermates demonstrated an increase in USVs, F(2,70) = 4.735, p = .012, only from P5 to P9 (p < .05). Boxplots represent USV calls when removed from dam at P5, P7, and P9. *indicates difference from P7 (p < .05), ^indicates difference from P9 (p < .05). Thick horizontal lines signify respective group medians, boxes are 25^th – 75^th percentiles, whiskers are 1.5 x IQR, closed and open circles depict outliers.