Figure 12.
Quantification of axon numbers in various proprioceptive pathways, including the dorsal spinocerebellar tract (DST), ventral spinocerebellar tract (VST), and L4 fasciculus gracilis (FG), in unaffected (control), early-stage, and late-stage dogs. For DST and VST, axon counts were normalized to 140,000μm2, FG counts were normalized to 30,000μm2. In the DST axons numbers were significantly reduced in both early and late-stage dogs compared to controls (p < 0.001). Similarly, in the VST axon numbers were significantly reduced between early-stage (p < 0.05) and late-stage (p = 0.03) dogs compared to controls. In the DST and VST no significant difference between early and late-stage groups were observed. No significant differences were observed in the FG. Sample sizes were as follows: DST Control (n = 3), Early (n = 5), Late (n = 5); VST Control (n = 5), Early (n = 5), Late (n =7); FG Control (n = 5), Early (n = 4), Late (n = 5). Asterisks indicate statically significant differences between groups. (Mean ± SD)