Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Commons^™

Post-Synaptic Mechanisms Of Early And Late Prepulse Inhibition In The Goldfish, Daniel Bronson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Sensorimotor gating, or prepulse inhibition (PPI), attenuates the startle response during sensory processing by limiting sensory input to the startle circuit. In the goldfish startle circuit, a single action potential in the Mauthner-cell (M-cell) triggers the startle response. PPI in the M-cell is mediated by multiple post-synaptic mechanisms, including the activation of a tonic, shunting inhibition as well as a voltage-sensitive conductance, both of which briefly reduce M-cell excitability. However, the specific channels and pathways that modulate PPI are not fully known. This work further characterizes the post-synaptic conductances that mediate PPI by blocking voltage-gated and inward-rectifying potassium channels, antagonizing …