Figure 6.

Disrupting SERT expression in developing TCA alters GAD67-GFP/GIN-expressing neuron dendrite patterning in the cortex. (A) Examples of reconstruction of the dendritic tree of GFP+ neurons located close to the edge of barrel walls in the PMBSF of P30 SERT^GluΔ and control littermate mice. (A₁) Low-magnification images showing GFP+ cell bodies (green) at barrel walls delineated by a high density of DAPI-stained cell nuclei (blue) on tangential sections of the PMBSF. (A₂) Original images processed using the mean filter and bandpass filter tools of ImageJ software to define barrel walls. (A₃) GFP+ cells pointed by yellow arrows chosen for reconstruction. (A₄) Higher magnification confocal images of GFP+ dendritic profiles. (A₅) Reconstruction of GFP+ dendritic trees superimposed over barrel walls. (B) Quantification of the distribution of the dendrite length, dendritic segments and branching points of GFP+ neurons located at barrel walls relative to corresponding primary barrels in the PMBSF of P30 mice. Each bar represents mean ± SEM, N = 3 mice per genotype, with five neurons analyzed for each SERT^GluΔ mouse and 4–6 neurons analyzed for each control mouse, ^*P < 0.05, t-tests.