Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 15, 2026

08:38
Habituation and Prepulse Inhibition of Acoustic Startle in Rodents
Published on: September 1, 2011
Excitatory and inhibitory effects of serotonin on sensorimotor reactivity measured with acoustic startle
Abstract:
Serotonin infused into the lateral ventricle in rats produced a dose-dependent depression of the acoustic startle reflex. When infused onto the spinal cord, serotonin produced a dose-dependent increase in startle. Thus the same neurotransmitter can modulate the same behavior in opposite ways, depending on which part of the central nervous system is involved.

