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Small Animal Behavior Core Laboratory
Services
PrePulse
Inhibition
Description:
In the prepulse
inhibition (PPI) procedure, the rodent is placed in a small chamber and
exposed to a brief pulse of noise. The test is used to assess the subject’s
ability to "gate" or filter environmental information. In the acoustic
(startle model) of sensorimotor gating, a weak acoustic stimulus (ie, the
prepulse) decreases the reflexive flinching response (startle) produced by a
second, more intense, stimulus (the pulse).
Purpose:
Prepulse inhibition is a cross-species phenomenon (ie, it is present in
mammals ranging from mice to humans), yet it is relatively absent among
schizophrenic patients and, more recently discovered, among patients with
Alzheimer’s disease.
The reduced ability to
filter out irrelevant auditory stimulation is a characteristic thought to
contribute to certain manifestations of these conditions including
inattention,
distractibility, and cognitive deficits. The test is quite useful for
evaluating transgenic models of schizophrenia as well as to screen potential
antipsychotic drugs.
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