Identifying tinnitus in mice by tracking the motion of body markers in response to an acoustic startle

Wallace, MN, Berger, JI, Hockley, A, Sumner, CJ ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2573-7418, Akeroyd, MA, Palmer, AR and McNaughton, PA, 2024. Identifying tinnitus in mice by tracking the motion of body markers in response to an acoustic startle. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 18: 1452450. ISSN 1662-4548

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Abstract

Rodent models of tinnitus are commonly used to study its mechanisms and potential treatments. Tinnitus can be identified by changes in the gap-induced prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle (GPIAS), most commonly by using pressure detectors to measure the whole-body startle (WBS). Unfortunately, the WBS habituates quickly, the measuring system can introduce mechanical oscillations and the response shows considerable variability. We have instead used a motion tracking system to measure the localized motion of small reflective markers in response to an acoustic startle reflex in guinea pigs and mice. For guinea pigs, the pinna had the largest responses both in terms of displacement between pairs of markers and in terms of the speed of the reflex movement. Smaller, but still reliable responses were observed with markers on the thorax, abdomen and back. The peak speed of the pinna reflex was the most sensitive measure for calculating GPIAS in the guinea pig. Recording the pinna reflex in mice proved impractical due to removal of the markers during grooming. However, recordings from their back and tail allowed us to measure the peak speed and the twitch amplitude (area under curve) of reflex responses and both analysis methods showed robust GPIAS. When mice were administered high doses of sodium salicylate, which induces tinnitus in humans, there was a significant reduction in GPIAS, consistent with the presence of tinnitus. Thus, measurement of the peak speed or twitch amplitude of pinna, back and tail markers provides a reliable assessment of tinnitus in rodents.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Frontiers in Neuroscience
Creators:	Wallace, M.N., Berger, J.I., Hockley, A., Sumner, C.J., Akeroyd, M.A., Palmer, A.R. and McNaughton, P.A.
Publisher:	Frontiers Media SA
Date:	2024
Volume:	18
ISSN:	1662-4548
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.3389/fnins.2024.1452450 DOI 2191801 Other
Rights:	© 2024 Wallace, Berger, Hockley, Sumner, Akeroyd, Palmer and McNaughton. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Laura Ward
Date Added:	12 Aug 2024 15:44
Last Modified:	12 Aug 2024 15:44
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/51974

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