Sensorimotor gating in healthy adults tested over a 15 year period

Publication date: Available online 24 December 2016
Source:Biological Psychology
Author(s): Neal R. Swerdlow, Savita G. Bhakta, Brinda K. Rana, Justin Kei, Hsun-Hua Chou, Jo A. Talledo
BackgroundPrepulse inhibition (PPI) of startle, an operational measure of sensorimotor gating, is used to study normal and pathological brain function. From 2001 − 2016, we screened healthy subjects (HS) to establish their suitability for tests of drug effects on PPI. Because of the size and systematic characterization of this sample across variables of relevance to PPI, we now report these screening results.MethodsAcoustic startle and PPI were assessed in HS to identify those eligible for studies of drug effects on PPI from 2001-2016, yielding 457 "eligible" subjects.ResultsData confirmed the consistency of PPI across this 15-year period, and supported the role of several variables previously reported to moderate either startle or PPI.ConclusionsStartle and PPI are robust physiological measures that are predictably moderated by specific physiological variables in healthy adults. As such, these measures serve as robust markers of neurobiological processes in healthy and patient populations.



http://ift.tt/2i4RkHl