Skip to main content
Fig. 1 | BMC Neuroscience

Fig. 1

From: Multilevel analysis quantifies variation in the experimental effect while optimizing power and preventing false positives

Fig. 1

Graphical illustration of nested data in research design A and B. In design A a, all observations in a cluster are subject to the same experimental condition. An example of this design is the comparison of WT and KO animals with respect to the number of docked vesicles within presynaptic boutons: bouton-measurements are typically clustered within neurons, and all measurements from the same neuron belong to the same experimental condition, i.e., have the same genotype. In this hypothetical example, we assume that a single neuron is sampled from each animal. If multiple neurons are sampled from the same animal, a third “mouse” level is added to the nested structure of the data. In research design B b, observations from the same cluster are subject to different experimental conditions. An example of this design is the comparison of neurite outgrowth in cells that are treated, or not (control), with growth factor (GF). Here, typically multiple observations from both treated and untreated neurons are obtained from, and so clustered within, the same animal

Back to article page