Adjustment of the data acquisition window for the assessment of sensorimotor gating mechanisms in rodents

The acoustic startle reflex (ASR) is a short and intense defensive reaction in response to a loud and unexpected acoustic stimulus. The ASR can be modulated through sensorimotor gating processes, such as prepulse inhibition (PPI), a neurological phenomenon in which a weak pre-stimulus inhibits the reaction to a startling stimulus. The reduction of the amplitude of ASR reflects the ability of the CNS to adapt to a salient sensory stimulus when a preceding weaker signal is perceived. Despite its obvious importance for translational research studies, when the data acquisition window is not properly configured, the measurement of ASR may contain artifacts or be incorrect altogether. In this paper, we issue our recommendations for the correct definition of the response window to achieve good-quality ASR/PPI measurements in order to standardize and implement the method across conditions. • Parameters for detection of peak responses need to be carefully configured, otherwise the risk of obtaining unwanted artifacts or high signal-to-noise ratio increases considerably. • Custom settings yield traces with tighter baseline, higher amplitude, and shorter latency compared to factory default settings. • FFT heatmaps show a solid color-correlation when using custom settings, without the appearance of artifacts.