Standardisation of prepulse inhibition of the startle reflex for pharmacological and interspecies comparisons

Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle reflex refers to reduction in the magnitude of the startle reflex when a startling stimulus (pulse) is preceded by a non-startling stimulus (prepulse) at short time intervals (prepulse intervals). Such a reduction in PPI may reflect a deficit in sensorimotor gating in schizophrenia.

A failure in such a sensorimotor gating process may result in flooding by sensory stimuli and thus may lead to development of psychosis. The disruption in sensorimotor gating could also reflect a failure of automatic preattentive stages of information processing in schizophrenia.

This project aims to evaluate the relationship between stimulus intensity and startle response magnitude (SIRM), which will assist in assessing the startle reflex and prepulse inhibition (PPI).

Contact

Researcher A/Prof Mathew Martin-Iverson Phone: +61 8 9347 6443