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

• Published in: Pharmacology, biochemistry and behavior Vol. 50; no. 2; pp. 191 - 198
• Main Authors: Acri, Jane B., Brown, Kelly J., Saah, Mazen I., Grunberg, Neil E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01-02-1995; Elsevier Science
• 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; Genetic strain; Rat Age; Acoustic startle; Sensory gating; Sensorimotor reactivity; Nicotine; Pharmacogenetics; Rat; CNS stimulant; Psychotropic; Rodentia; Startle reflex; Strain specificity; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Acoustic stimulus; Animal; Subcutaneous administration; Gating; Age
• ISSN: 0091-3057; 1873-5177
• DOI: 10.1016/0091-3057(94)00285-Q

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.