Startle Response Modulation as a Behavioral Tool in Neuropharmacology

Behavioral studies in animals are an important part of neuropharmacological research, because they integrate findings from in vitro pharmacology, chemical neuroanatomy and electrophysiology at the system's level, thereby bridging the gap between basic research on one hand, and the development of pharmacological treatment with clinical trials on the other hand. Animal behavioral models of neuropsychiatric diseases (such as fear/anxiety disorders, depression, addiction, or schizophrenia) are, therefore, an eminent part of preclinical neuropharmacology. We review here recent neuropharmacological findings on prepulse inhibition (PPI) and fear-potentiation of the startle response (FPS) as behavioral models for sensorimotor gating deficits in neuropsychiatric disorders and fear/anxiety-related disorders, respectively.