behavior/neurological
• adults are modestly but significantly less active than heterozygous controls; total ambulations during a 1 hour observation session are lower in conditional null mice
• mice exhibit normal rearing behavior but travel less in the field periphery and make fewer entries into center compared to controls
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nervous system
N |
• although Ret expression is lost, in adults the total cell counts and size of dopaminergic neurons, TH-positive fiber density in the striatum and nucleus accumbens, nigrostriatal and ventral tegmental area pathways, and levels of dopamine and its metabolites, are all similar to wild-type
• mice do not appear to have sensorimotor deficits with the modest decrease in locomotor activity
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