Figure 5: Oral oxytocin (OXT) with whisker brushing decreases c-Fos cell densities in trigeminal brainstem nuclei:
Oral OXT with whisker brushing decreased c-Fos cell densities in trigeminal nuclei of pre-weaning mice compared to saline in study 2. The Milk dose of oral OXT (gray shapes) with whisker brushing decreased c-Fos densities in the trigeminal sensory nucleus of postnatal day (P) 14 (circles) males compared to saline (white circles; A). The Clinical dose of oral OXT (black shapes) with whisker brushing tended to decrease c-Fos in the trigeminal spinal nucleus of P14 and P21 (triangles) males and females compared to saline (B). The Milk and Clinical dose of oral OXT with whisker brushing decreased c-Fos densities in the trigeminal motor nucleus of P14 females compared to saline (C). Individual data points are graphed as well as mean ± SEM. *p = < 0.05; # = Main effect of treatment (p < 0.05) followed by Bonferroni corrected post-hoc Clinical vs saline p = 0.063