The acoustic startle response is an unconditional reflex manifested as a rapid contraction of facial and skeletal muscles in response to a sudden and intense startling stimulus.
Translational research, in particular, benefits from the study of the acoustic startle response because this response is consistent across a range of different species. The acoustic startle response also uses neural circuitry, which is simple in nature while being sensitive to a range of experimental manipulations.
Image Credit: San Diego Instruments, Inc.
The acoustic startle response and PPI
The rodent acoustic startle response is widely employed in the study of the central nervous system’s intrinsic properties, including fear and anxiety, sensitization, habituation, classical conditioning, sensorimotor gating, and drug effects.
Prepulse inhibition (PPI) is an important phenomenon used to model sensorimotor gating. PPI involves the suppression of the startle response when a weak pre-stimulus is applied prior to a strong startling stimulus.
Sensorimotor gating issues are key elements of a wide range of neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, OCD, and Huntington’s disease. PPI of the rodent acoustic startle response is, therefore, at the forefront of research into these disorders’ genetics, pathophysiology, and pharmacology.
Assessment of acoustic startle response
The acoustic startle response in rodents is extremely brief, making this difficult to assess. In order to address this challenge, rodent acoustic startle response is often monitored in stabilimeter chambers, which limit animal movement. This is stressful and unpleasant for animals; however, it necessitates extensive calming and habituation.
The acoustic startle response manifests as an exaggerated flinching response to an unanticipated strong auditory stimulus (pre-pulse). It may be possible to weaken this response via a preceding weaker stimulus (pre-pulse). This is the primary underlying pre-pulse inhibition (PPI).
PPI has been documented in a range of species, including mice and humans, affording researchers a useful means of operationally measuring sensorimotor gating and determining an animal’s ability to successfully integrate and prevent sensory information.
San Diego Instruments’ acoustic startle response test system
San Diego Instruments’ SR-LAB acoustic startle response system is the most widely used startle reflex research system designed to quantify PPI, fear-potentiated startle (FPS), and acoustic startle response.
The SR-LAB is a holistic software and hardware solution designed to accommodate a wide range of acoustic startle response applications. For high-throughput applications, as many as 16 stations are available.
The SR-LAB acoustic startle response software controls a diverse array of tone, noise burst, light, foot shock, air puff, and background noise combinations. It can also support various test paradigms without requiring additional software.
Advantages of SDI’s acoustic startle response test system
The SR-LAB system can easily accommodate the most prevalent test paradigms via a single software program, making it more cost-effective than similar systems.
Users can design customized paradigms as required, and data is easily verifiable because each response allows users to confirm numeric data by reviewing the entire waveform.
The SR-LABS’s tubular enclosures allow animals to turn without constraint, removing the restraint stress that often significantly impacts acoustic startle response test results. The tubular design also ensures that animals are kept over the sensor, ensuring reliable results.
Acknowledgments
Produced from materials originally authored by San Diego Instruments.
About San Diego Instruments, Inc.
For more than 30 years, San Diego Instruments has served the scientific community as a comprehensive resource for the design, manufacture and distribution of behavioral neuroscience research instruments used in human and animal studies. Utilized in laboratories and cited in research papers worldwide, SDI systems have come to represent the industry standard for quality and longevity. Our premier SR-LAB™ is the world’s most widely used startle response system. At SDI, our commitment to developing quality products that stand the test of time is matched only our dedication to excellent customer service. We take pride in our ever-growing core of loyal clientele.
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