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. 2019 Apr 19:(146):10.3791/58659.
doi: 10.3791/58659.

The Power of Interstimulus Interval for the Assessment of Temporal Processing in Rodents

Kristen A McLaurin  1 , Landhing M Moran  1 , Hailong Li  1 , Rosemarie M Booze  1 , Charles F Mactutus  2
Affiliations

The Power of Interstimulus Interval for the Assessment of Temporal Processing in Rodents

Kristen A McLaurin et al. J Vis Exp. .

Abstract

Temporal processing deficits have been implicated as a potential elemental dimension of higher-level cognitive processes, commonly observed in neurocognitive disorders. Despite the popularization of prepulse inhibition (PPI) in recent years, many current protocols promote using a percent of control measure, thereby precluding the assessment of temporal processing. The present study used cross-modal PPI and gap prepulse inhibition (gap-PPI) to demonstrate the benefits of employing a range of interstimulus intervals (ISIs) to delineate effects of sensory modality, psychostimulant exposure, and age. Assessment of sensory modality, psychostimulant exposure, and age reveals the utility of an approach varying the interstimulus interval (ISI) to establish the shape of the ISI function, including increases (sharper curve inflections) or decreases (flattening of the response amplitude curve) in startle amplitude. Additionally, shifts in peak response inhibition, suggestive of a differential sensitivity to the manipulation of ISI, are often revealed. Thus, the systematic manipulation of ISI affords a critical opportunity to evaluate temporal processing, which may reveal the underlying neural mechanisms involved in neurocognitive disorders.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosures

None of the authors have conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:. Prepulse Inhibition Experimental Paradigms.
A) Animals exhibit a baseline auditory startle response when an acoustic startle stimulus is presented. B) During cross-modal prepulse inhibition (PPI), the presentation of a discrete prestimulus (i.e., acoustic tone, light, air puff) 30 to 500 ms prior to an acoustic startle stimulus, produces robust inhibition. C) During gap prepulse inhibition (gap-PPI), the removal of a discrete prestimulus (gap in background noise, light, or air puff) 30 to 200 ms prior to an acoustic startle stimulus produces robust inhibition. The image is adapted from Maze Engineers. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
Figure 2:
Figure 2:. Cross-Sectional Assessment of Temporal Processing: Sensory Modality.
A) Representative analysis of the effect of sensory modality on the interstimulus interval (ISI) function in cross-modal prepulse inhibition (PPI). B) Representative analysis of the effect of sensory modality on ISI in gap prepulse inhibition (gap-PPI). Control results from McLaurin et al. are reanalyzed in a novel manner to assess the effect of sensory modality. Data are presented as mean ± standard error of the mean. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
Figure 3:
Figure 3:. Cross-Sectional Assessment of Temporal Processing: Psychostimulant Exposure.
A) Representative analysis of the effect of psychostimulant exposure (pretest vs. posttest) on the interstimulus interval (ISI) function in acoustic prepulse inhibition (PPI). B) Representative analysis of the effect of psychostimulant exposure on ISI in acoustic gap prepulse inhibition (gap-PPI). Control results from McLaurin et al. are reanalyzed in a novel manner as the pretest component for psychostimulant exposure. Data are presented as mean ± standard error of the mean. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
Figure 4:
Figure 4:. Longitudinal Assessment of Temporal Processing.
A) Representative analysis of the effect of age on the interstimulus interval (ISI) function in visual prepulse inhibition (PPI). B) Representative analysis of the effect of age on the ISI function in acoustic gap prepulse inhibition (gap-PPI). Data are presented as mean ± standard error of the mean. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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