GMC05 project protocol

Acoustic startle response and prepulse inhibition in 8 inbred founder strains of the Collaborative Cross   (2020)

German Mouse Clinic and Department of Infection Genetics, HZI
With: Hrabě de Angelis M, Fuchs H, Gailus-Durner V, Garrett L, Hölter-Koch S, Wurst W, Lengger C, Kollmus H, Schughart K




German Mouse Clinic: Phenotyping Pipeline

Acoustic startle and prepulse inhibition: 9-10 wks of age

 

  • Project protocol - Contents

    Workflow and sampling

    Step
    Procedure
    		 Equipment
    Data collected
    1
    		 Acoustic startle Startle apparatus setup
    Acoustic startle response
    2 Acoustic startle with prepulse Startle apparatus setup Prepulse inhibition
    3 Body weight Balance Body weight

    Equipment and supplies

    • Startle apparatus: Med Associates Inc., VT (Standard Acoustic Startle Sound Attenuation Cubicle)
    • Software: Med Associates Startle Reflex, version 6.00
    • Balance: Ohaus (AV213C)

    Reagents and solutions

    • Cleaning solution

    Procedure: Acoustic startle response (ASR) and prepulse inhibition (PPI)

      1. Experiments are carried out between 0830 and 1700h.
      2. Background noise is 65 dB; for PPI, startle pulses are bursts of white noise (40 ms) at 110 dB.
      3. A session is initiated with a 5-min acclimation period followed by five presentations of leader startle pulses that are excluded from the statistical analyses.
      4. Acoustic startle is measured for background noise followed by 70, 80, 85, 90, 100, 110, 120 dB.
      5. Acoustic startle is measured with a prepulse (67, 69, 73, 81 dB); each prepulse precedes the startle pulse by a 50 ms inter-stimulus interval.
      6. Each trial type is presented 10 times in random order, organized in 10 blocks, each trial type occurring once per block.
      7. Inter-trial intervals vary from 20 to 30 s.

    Data collected by investigator

    • Acoustic startle response
    • Prepulse inhibition
    • Acoustic startle response: inter-stimulus intervals 5, 25, 100
    • Prepulse inhibition: inter-stimulus intervals 5, 25, 100