Strain and age differences in acoustic startle responses and effects of nicotine in rats

Two experiments examined the effects of age, genetic strain, and nicotine on acoustic startle response (ASR) amplitude and prepulse inhibition (PPI) in rats. ASR amplitude measures reactivity to external stimulation, and PPI is used as an index of sensory gating related to attention. Both ASR amplit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pharmacology, biochemistry and behavior biochemistry and behavior, 1995-02, Vol.50 (2), p.191-198
Main Authors: Acri, Jane B., Brown, Kelly J., Saah, Mazen I., Grunberg, Neil E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acoustic startle
Aging - psychology
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Genetic strain
Male
Medical sciences
Neuropharmacology
Nicotine
Nicotine - pharmacology
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Psychoanaleptics: cns stimulant, antidepressant agent, nootropic agent, mood stabilizer..., (alzheimer disease)
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopharmacology
Rat Age
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Rats, Wistar
Reflex, Startle - drug effects
Sensorimotor reactivity
Sensory gating
Species Specificity
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Summary:Two experiments examined the effects of age, genetic strain, and nicotine on acoustic startle response (ASR) amplitude and prepulse inhibition (PPI) in rats. ASR amplitude measures reactivity to external stimulation, and PPI is used as an index of sensory gating related to attention. Both ASR amplitude and PPI have been previously reported to be increased by nicotine in adult rats. Experiment 1 examined effects of chronically administered nicotine and saline on ASR and PPI in Wistar, Long-Evans, and Sprague-Dawley rats (40 days of age). Experiment 2 examined the effects of chronically administered nicotine and saline in Sprague-Dawley rats of two age groups: 40 and 70 days of age at the beginning of the study. ASR amplitude differed significantly across strains with the values for Wistar > Sprague-Dawley > Long-Evans, and there were no differences in percent of PPI among the three strains. In addition, results of Experiment 2 indicated that older rats had significantly greater ASR amplitudes and PPI than younger rats. Consistent with previous reports, nicotine increased ASR and PPI in the older rats; however, there were no significant differences in the younger rats. Therefore, age and genetic strain are important variables in the analysis of nicotine's effects on startle behaviors in rats.
ISSN:0091-3057
1873-5177
DOI:10.1016/0091-3057(94)00285-Q