Simultaneous evaluation of prepulse inhibition with EMG and EEG using advanced artifact removal techniques

Prepulse inhibition (PPI) consists of a reduction of the acoustic startle reflex (SR) magnitude (measured with EMG) when a startling stimulus is preceded by a non-startling one. This behavior has been extensively investigated in studies related to schizophrenia, since sensory-motor deficit plays a central role in its pathophysiology. However, the same auditory stimuli that trigger the SR also provoke intense auditory evoked responses (AEP), which can be measured with EEG. Comparing these two types of responses, acquired simultaneously, is a great opportunity to investigate the dependence and interdependence of their neural pathways. Nonetheless, so far very few studies have dared to perform such simultaneous recordings, because SR produces strong eye blinks and muscle contraction artifacts that contaminate EEG electrodes placed on the scalp. In this study we investigated the possibility of simultaneously obtaining both the acoustic SR (using EMG) and the AEP (using EEG) measures, through the use of advanced artifact removal techniques, to better characterize PPI in healthy humans.