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Habituation and Prepulse Inhibition of Acoustic Startle in Rodents
Published on: September 1, 2011
Prepulse inhibition predicts working memory performance whilst startle habituation predicts spatial reference memory
Philipp Singer1, Jonas Hauser, Luis H Llano Lopez
1Laboratory of Behavioural Neurobiology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, CH-8063 Schwerzenbach, Switzerland.
Behavioural Brain Research
|January 2, 2013
Summary
Prepulse inhibition (PPI) predicts working memory, while startle reflex habituation predicts spatial reference memory in mice. These findings suggest PPI and habituation as potential biomarkers for cognitive enhancers, particularly for schizophrenia.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle reflex is a measure of sensory gating, often impaired in neuropsychiatric disorders like schizophrenia.
- Impaired PPI is hypothesized to correlate with cognitive deficits, suggesting its potential as a drug screening assay for pro-cognitive efficacy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the statistical link between prepulse inhibition (PPI) expression and cognitive performance in a homogeneous cohort of inbred C57BL/6 mice.
- To identify potential biomarkers for cognitive traits and evaluate their utility in high-throughput screening of cognitive enhancers.
Main Methods:
- Assessed prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle reflex in C57BL/6 mice.
- Correlated PPI expression with performance in spatial reference memory and working memory tests (Morris water maze) and contextual fear conditioning.
Main Results:
- A specific correlation was found between working memory and PPI induced by weak prepulses.
- A novel correlation between startle reflex habituation and spatial reference memory was identified, with stronger habituation linked to better spatial accuracy.
- PPI and startle habituation emerged as independent predictors of distinct cognitive traits.
Conclusions:
- Prepulse inhibition (PPI) and startle reflex habituation serve as independent predictors of dissociable cognitive traits in normal mice.
- These measures may function as potential markers for high-throughput evaluation of cognitive enhancers, especially relevant for conditions like schizophrenia.
