Fig.4.

Neuronal loss in the trigeminal mesencephalic nucleus (Vmes) after tooth extraction. A) The positions of the histological blocks from the rostral (1) and caudal (14) ends of the Vmes (green). B) Immunocytochemical localization of Aβ (6E10)-IR Vmes neurons in the rostral (left, block #3) and caudal (right, block #10) regions in 5-month-old 3×Tg-AD mice. C) The number of Vmes neurons in each block from rostral (1) to the caudal (14) ends of the Vmes in 5-month-old 3×Tg-AD mice without tooth extraction (Con, control) and with extraction (Ext, 1 month after extraction). Blocks 6–14 from the Vmes were adjacent to the locus coeruleus. D) The total number of Vmes neurons in 14 sections from each 5-month-old 3×Tg-AD mice in the Con and Ext groups. The data are the means±SDs, n = 10. *p < 0.01, unpaired t test. E) Cleaved caspase-3-IR Vmes neurons (arrows), Aβ₄₂-IR Vmes neurons, and cleaved caspase-3-/Aβ₄₂-IR Vmes neuron (arrowhead) and a cleaved caspase-3-IR but Aβ₄₂-immunonegative Vmes neuron (double arrowheads) 10 days after tooth extraction in 4-month-old 3×Tg-AD mice. Scale bars: B, 200μm; E, 20μm.