The volume was calculated according to the procedure of Cavalieri, and variability within groups was assessed via the coefficient of error (CE). CEs for all analyses were = 0.10. To quantify graft innervation, TH+ sections 240 μm apart were analysed using the Space Balls estimator program (StereoInvestigator, MicroBrightfield, Williston, VT, USA) to obtain an unbiased estimate of TH+ neurite density in the striatum. Fiber density analyses were conducted

in 4–6 www.selleckchem.com/products/Staurosporine.html serial sections. Contours were drawn for three fields of view at the lateral border of the graft at 4×, and neurites that crossed the borders of the hemispheric probe were counted at 60× with oil immersion. Neurite density was calculated as neurite length/volume. The volume was calculated according to the procedure of Cavalieri, and variability within groups was assessed via the CE. CEs for all analyses were = 0.10. A modified bootstrapping method was used for the analysis of behaviors that had extensive temporal data. This approach involved the inclusion of re-sampled data from the following

time-point Trichostatin A cell line groupings: ‘pre-graft maturation’ time-point (weeks −2, 0 and 2 post-grafting); ‘early post-grafting’ time-point (weeks 4 and 6 post-grafting); ‘mid post-grafting’ time-point (weeks 8 and 10 post-grafting); and a ‘late post-grafting’ time-point (weeks 18 and 20 post-grafting). A two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance (anova) was performed for each behavior, to assess the effects of treatment, time, and treatment by N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphate transferase time interaction. Significant differences of main effects were determined using Bonferroni post hoc analyses. Differences in spine density, TH+ cell counts and TH+ fiber densities were determined using one-way anovas followed by Tukey’s

post hoc analyses. Analysis of Golgi-treated striatal tissue showed a > 40% reduction in spine density on dendrites both distal and proximal to the cell bodies of MSNs in the dopamine-depleted striatum compared with controls (control: distal = 10.52 ± 0.85 spines per 10 μm, proximal = 12.32 ± 0.79 spines per 10 μm; 6-OHDA-treated: distal = 5.57 ± 0.83 spines per 10 μm, proximal = 6.78 ± 0.88 spines per 10 μm). This loss was protected against in parkinsonian rats receiving nimodipine pellets at both distal and proximal sites, with nimodipine-treated rats showing no significant difference from intact controls (6-OHDA + nimodipine: distal = 9.02 ± 0.41 spines per 10 μm, P = 0.39; proximal = 10.78 ± 0.58 spines per 10 μm, P = 0.42) but differing significantly from parkinsonian rats receiving vehicle pellets (distal: F2,12 = 12.15, P = 0.01; proximal: F2,12 = 13.54, P = 0.007; Fig. 2). Both dopamine-grafted groups showed significantly reduced rotational behavior when compared with sham-grafted controls (early post-graft: dopamine-grafted = 0.38 ± 0.18 rotations per min, dopamine-grafted + nimodipine = 0.42 ± 0.23 rotations per min, sham-grafted = 3.08 ± 1.