Sensorimotor gating in healthy adults tested over a 15 year period

- Startle and prepulse inhibition (PPI) were tested in 487 subjects over 15 years.
- PPI and startle latency were stable but startle magnitude declined over 15 years.
- Moderating effects of specific variables on PPI largely supported published reports.
- PPI is reliable, and variables are known that can constrain uncontrolled variance.

BackgroundPrepulse inhibition (PPI) of startle, an operational measure of sensorimotor gating, is used to study normal and pathological brain function. From 2001 to 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 to 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.