Startle Reflex Software

SOF-825
Startle Reflex Software

OS Compatibility/Computer Requirements:
Windows 2000, or XP - one USB port, one PCI slot.

This Windows-based software package provides a high level of setup flexibility and display. Select pre-pulse, potentiated or gap detection protocols. Define all parameters for a user-defined set of up to 99 trials divided into three blocks. Use fixed or variable Inter-Trial Intervals with a random or defined table of trials. Chamber windows are automatically drawn with data and configuration buttons.

Select "Data" to enter information on a single test animal (e.g., study number, animal number, technician) and for those doing drug studies, information on up to two drugs.  These features can save considerable time in dose/response studies.

Select "Config" to configure pre-stimulus and startle stimulus parameters of frequency, rise/fall time, amplitude, and duration.  Copy values from block to block or chamber to chamber or enter unique values for each set of four chambers and save all settings in specified experiment files.  A special options screen even allows for automatically varying levels for pre-pulse and/or startle stimuli that can be presented either in order or randomized.

Select or click "run" to collect and display data.  Replay any part of any experiment to view digital values or graphic display as a line, bar, or scatter plot.

Select Pro Series software for standard PPI or FPS applications or contact Med Associates Inc. for custom Pro Series style applications where test protocol is determined and fixed.

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The benefits of the research software and MED Associates' ASR components include:

• The ability to run up to eight test stations in two groups of four on a single computer.
• Up to 130 dB startle tone or noise, and 100 dB background white noise.
• Flexible stimulus presentation - auditory, visual, aversive stimulation, or any auxiliary device controllable by 28 V DC.
• Complete set of all pertinent and peripheral data can be viewed graphically and is readily available in an ASCII text format.
• Overlay response data graphics option to view trial-by-trial differences.

SOF-827
Fear Potentiated Startle Pro Software

SOF-827UPG
Fear Potentiated Startle Software Upgrade From SOF-825

OS Compatibility/Computer Requirements:
Windows 98, 2000, or XP - one USB port, one PCI slot.

This ready-to-run application was designed to specifications provided by Dr. William Falls, University of Vermont. A method reprint for Fear-Potentiated Startle in mice, using the Med Associates instrumentation, is available on Dr. Falls' site (Adobe Acrobat Reader required-free). The first copies of this software were supplied to Jackson Labs for their Neuroscience Mutagenesis Facility Phenotyping Protocols, Startle Pre-Pulse Inhibition (PPI) and Fear Potentiated Startle Response (FPS). It is expected that this software and additional stations will increase their maximum throughput from 60 mice per day to 500 mice per day (below).

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MED FPS Testing Screen

The testing series consists of 27 trials that also follow an acclimation period of five minutes. Noise Burst (NB) trials are randomly presented at 100, 105, and 110 dB for the first nine trials. Nine NB trials and nine Tone/NB trials are randomly presented for the remaining 18 trials. The tone stimulus is fixed at 12 KHz, 70 dB as used in training.

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SOF-826
Pre-Pulse Inhibition Startle Pro Software

OS Compatibility/Computer Requirements: Windows 98, 2000, or XP - one USB port, one PCI slot.

SOF-826UPG
Pre-Pulse Inhibition Startle Pro Software Upgrade From SOF-825

OS Compatibility/Computer Requirements: Windows 98, 2000, or XP - one USB port, one PCI slot.

This ready-to-run application was designed to specifications provided by Dr. James Willott, University of South Florida. The first copies of this software were supplied to Jackson Labs for their Mouse Center Mutagenesis and Phenotyping project. It is expected that this software and additional stations will increase their maximum throughput from 60 mice per day to 500 mice per day (Click here to view their research setup). For extremely high throughput, a single file with information on all animals per run is available as an option.

A novel modification for this method, using a plastic stimulus adapter, was developed by Dr. James Willott, and is available as a Startle Stimulus Adapter.

This software's only setup requires the user to enter a unique file name for data storage, any test comments that need to be saved with the session data, and an animal number or identifier for each test chamber. A total of 55 trials are run following an acclimation period of one minute. The first 40 trials consist of  24 PPI trials randomly dispersed among 16 Noise Burst Only trials. The pre-pulse trials consist of eight trials each of 20 KHz at 100 dB, 12 KHz at 90 dB, and 4 KHz at 80 dB. The Noise Burst Only trials are at an intensity level of 112dB. The remaining 15 trials consist of five trials each of Noise Burst randomly sorted at an intensity level of 82, 92, or 102 dB. Each trial is separated by a variable ITI with a range of three - eight seconds. The data consist of a text file with maximum peak-to-peak values for each trial that can be easily imported into a spreadsheet for further analysis.

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The Advanced Startle software has a similar user interface to the PPI and FPS Pro Series Startle software. Advanced Startle lets researchers create their own experiments and protocols via a tab-delimited table.  This allows researchers great flexibility, but with an added complexity that is more suited to the experienced Startle researcher.  Advanced Startle contains the High-Throughput option for ease of running large quantities of animals and has a viewer to permit the examination of the startle responses after the experiment has completed.

Custom designed experiments are available for experimenters who would like to run an experiment that varies from the standard PPI or FPS protocols, without having to create the experiment table.  Contact Med Associates for more information.  Note: Requires a DIG-729 with the revA925M-23 chip or higher.

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