Fig. 5

Loss of auditory sensory activity before but not after onset of hearing influences the formation of the VIAAT-gradient in NMRI mice. A: No gradient in VIAAT-immunoreactivity was evident in SOC nuclei of deaf Cldn14 ^−/− mice at P30 (a, a′). However, in animals subjected to bilateral cochlea ablation 2 weeks after hearing-onset, a clear gradient in the LSO was visible (b′). B: Quantification of VIAAT immunoreactivity in deaf and cochlea ablated animals. There was no difference between the medial and the lateral limb of the LSO in the congenital deaf mouse line but a significant higher immunoreactivity in the lateral limb of cochlea ablated animals. Bars only depict lateral values in % compared to medial. Medial values were set to 100% (dashed line). Statistical significance was tested using the Mann–Whitney U test. 14–15 ROIs were analyzed per animal and three animals per age. ***p ≤ 0.001, ns not significant