Open(G)PIAS: An Open-Source Solution for the Construction of a High-Precision Acoustic Startle Response Setup for Tinnitus Screening and Threshold Estimation in Rodents
Open(G)PIAS: An Open-Source Solution for the Construction of a High-Precision Acoustic Startle Response Setup for Tinnitus Screening and Threshold Estimation in Rodents
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DOI：
10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00140
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发表时间：
2019-06-25
影响因子：
3
通讯作者：
Schilling, Achim
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Gerum, Richard;Rahlfs, Hinrich;Schilling, Achim
通过被称为前脉冲抑制（PPI，用于沉默间隙前刺激：GPIAS）的前刺激对声学惊吓反射（ASR）的调节是一种通用工具，例如，估计听力阈值或识别啮齿动物的主观耳鸣感知。这些范例的正确应用取决于ASR幅度的可靠测量和在频率和强度方面的精确刺激呈现。在这里，我们介绍了一种新的开源解决方案，用于构建低成本的ASR设置。用于数据采集和刺激呈现的完整软件是用Python 3.6编写的，并作为Anaconda包提供。此外，我们提供了一个基于低成本硬件组件的传感器系统的构建方案。来自两种动物模型（小家鼠、长爪沙鼠）的示例性GPIAS数据显示，间隙刺激前和无刺激前ASR幅度的比率直方图（1-GPIAS）可以通过与具有已经建立的设置的先前研究良好一致的对数正态分布来很好地描述。此外，可以示出，作为刺激前强度（阈值范例）的函数的PPI可以用硬S形函数来近似，使得能够进行可再现的感觉阈值估计。因此，我们表明，开源解决方案可以帮助在许多实验室中进一步建立ASR方法，从而促进和标准化耳鸣和/或听力损失动物模型的研究。
The modulation of the acoustic startle reflex (ASR) by a pre-stimulus called pre-pulse inhibition (PPI, for gap of silence pre-stimulus: GPIAS) is a versatile tool to, e.g., estimate hearing thresholds or identify subjective tinnitus percepts in rodents. A proper application of these paradigms depends on a reliable measurement of the ASR amplitudes and an exact stimulus presentation in terms of frequency and intensity. Here, we introduce a novel open-source solution for the construction of a low-cost ASR setup. The complete software for data acquisition and stimulus presentation is written in Python 3.6 and is provided as an Anaconda package. Furthermore, we provide a construction plan for the sensor system based on low-cost hardware components. Exemplary GPIAS data from two animal models (Mus musculus, Meriones unguiculatus) show that the ratio histograms (1-GPIAS) of the gap-pre-stimulus and no pre-stimulus ASR amplitudes can be well described by a log-normal distribution being in good accordance to previous studies with already established setups. Furthermore, it can be shown that the PPI as a function of pre-stimulus intensity (threshold paradigm) can be approximated with a hard-sigmoid function enabling a reproducible sensory threshold estimation. Thus, we show that the open-source solution could help to further establish the ASR method in many laboratories and, thus, facilitate and standardize research in animal models of tinnitus and/or hearing loss.