Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 22, 2026
08:38
Habituation and Prepulse Inhibition of Acoustic Startle in Rodents
Published on: September 1, 2011
Pramipexole effects on startle gating in rats and normal men
Neal R Swerdlow1, Sophia A Lelham, Ashley N Sutherland Owens
1Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA. nswerdlow@ucsd.edu
Psychopharmacology
|June 10, 2009
Summary
The D3 receptor agonist pramipexole affects sensorimotor gating in humans and rats. Pramipexole increases prepulse inhibition (PPI) in humans but decreases it in rats, suggesting distinct D3 receptor roles.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Dopamine D3 receptors modulate sensorimotor gating, impacting prepulse inhibition (PPI) of startle.
- Previous studies show D3 agonists/antagonists alter PPI in rats.
- This study investigates pramipexole, a D3-preferential agonist, on PPI in humans and rats.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the effects of the D3-preferential agonist pramipexole on sensorimotor gating (PPI) in humans and rats.
- To compare pramipexole's effects across species and relate them to D3 receptor function.
Main Methods:
- Human participants received placebo or pramipexole (0.125 or 0.1875 mg) in a double-blind, crossover design.
- Rats received vehicle or pramipexole (0.1, 0.3, or 1.0 mg/kg) in a parallel design.
- Acoustic startle and PPI were measured; autonomic, subjective, and personality measures were also assessed in humans.
Main Results:
- Pramipexole increased drowsiness and PPI at 120-ms intervals in humans, independent of baseline PPI or personality traits.
- In rats, pramipexole dose-dependently reduced long-interval (120 ms) PPI.
- Low doses of pramipexole increased short-interval (10-20 ms) PPI in rats, with effects independent of baseline PPI or startle magnitude.
Conclusions:
- The D3-preferential agonist pramipexole differentially modifies sensorimotor gating (PPI) in humans and rats.
- Pramipexole's enhancement of long-interval PPI in humans contrasts with its effects in rats, supporting distinct D3 receptor roles in sensorimotor gating.
- Findings align with preclinical data differentiating D2- and D3-mediated regulation of sensorimotor gating.
