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Updated: Aug 20, 2026
Habituation and Prepulse Inhibition of Acoustic Startle in Rodents
Published on: September 1, 2011
Reduced effects of amphetamine on prepulse inhibition of startle in gastrin-deficient mice
Maarten van den Buuse1, Ian R van Driel, Linda C Samuelson
1Behavioural Neuroscience Laboratory, Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria, 155 Oak Street, Parkville, Vic. 3052, Australia. mvandenbuuse@mhri.edu.au
Abstract:
The present study was aimed at investigating the role of gastrin in startle, startle habituation and prepulse inhibition (PPI). There were no significant differences between gastrin knockout mice and their wildtype controls in any of these baseline parameters. The disruption of PPI by treatment with 5 mg/kg of amphetamine was absent in gastrin knockout mice. However, a higher dose of amphetamine disrupted PPI in both genotypes. Similarly, treatment with the dopamine receptor agonist, apomorphine, the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, MK-801, and the serotonin-1A receptor agonist, 8-hydroxy-di-propylaminotetralin (8-OH-DPAT) modulated PPI similarly in gastrin knockout mice and wildtype controls. These data suggest a role of gastrin in the brain in modulating dopamine release in areas involved in PPI.
