Effects of acoustic prepulses on the startle reflex in rats: a parametric analysis

Small changes in the sensory environment, called prepulses, prior to a startle-eliciting stimulus can either inhibit or facilitate the startle reaction. To investigate this apparent discrepancy, a number of characteristics of the acoustic prepulse were varied and the effects on the startle reaction were studied. The results showed that increasing the intensity of the prepulse (81-85 dB) resulted in an increased inhibition and could even turn facilitation into inhibition (at 3-13 ms prepulse-startle interval). Varying prepulse lengths (1-45 ms) did not change the observed startle modification. Only when the prepulse offset was close to the startle onset, changes could be observed. Confronting the animal with the same test session for several days resulted in increased inhibition and a change from facilitation to inhibition (at 3-13 ms prepulse-startle interval). The results demonstrate that the characteristics of the prepulse determine its effect on the startle reaction. An hypothetical model is proposed which might explain the observed data.