Sensing platform for acoustic startle responses from rat forelimbs and hindlimbs

A sensing platform with two piezoelectric transducers was designed and fabricated to measure acoustic startle responses from forelimbs and hindlimbs in the rat. Testing with a vibrator showed that separate forces were measured from 5 to 25 Hz with mean sensitivities of 2.395 and 2.022 V/N and mean linearity errors of 3.23 and 2.98% FS for the forelimb and hindlimb sensors, respectively. Forelimb and hindlimb response waveforms of male Sprague-Dawley rats had shapes similar to the commonly recorded wholebody response but were smaller in amplitude.