Translational utility of rodent hippocampal auditory gating in schizophrenia research: a review and evaluation

Impaired gating of the auditory evoked P50 potential is one of the most pharmacologically well-characterized features of schizophrenia. This deficit is most commonly modeled in rodents by implanted electrode recordings from the hippocampus of the rodent analog of the P50, the P20–N40. The validity and effectiveness of this tool, however, has not been systematically reviewed. Here, we summarize findings from studies that have examined the effects of pharmacologic modulation on gating of the rodent hippocampal P20–N40 and the human P50. We show that drug effects on the P20–N40 are highly predictive of human effects across similar dose ranges. Furthermore, mental status (for example, anesthetized vs alert) does not appear to diminish the predictive capacity of these recordings. We then discuss hypothesized neuropharmacologic mechanisms that may underlie gating effects for each drug studied. Overall, this review supports continued use of hippocampal P20–N40 gating as a translational tool for schizophrenia research.