Rodent/Mice behavioral experiment

Acoustic startle reflex (ASR)

The acoustic startle reflex (ASR) is actually pretty simple. When mice/rats are surprised by a loud noise (Fig. 1, left; Meow!), their facial and skeletal muscles rapidly contract. This includes closing of the eyes, stiffening of the neck and body (Fig. 1, left; startled mouse), and other physical changes that might protect the animal and help prepare it for a fight/flight response. https://conductscience.com/maze/acoustic-startle-response/

Acoustic Startle Response | Maze Engineers

Figure 1. Left, schematic of the startle response, including the quantified response (black line = voltage trace) and characteristic behavior.

 

---

 

 

The rodent acoustic startle response is commonly used to study fundamental properties of the central nervous system, including habituation, sensitization, classical conditioning, fear and anxiety, sensorimotor gating, and drug effects (Groves and Thompson, 1970; Davis, 1980, 1986, 2006; Davis et al., 1982, 1993; Swerdlow et al., 1992; Pilz and Schnitzler, 1996; Koch, 1999).

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2020.00083/full

 

---