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P.I.: James F. Willott, Ph.D. Location: (Until September, 2000)
Description: My colleagues and I have been studying various aspects of the mouse auditory system for more than 25 years: central auditory physiology, age-related hearing loss, genetics of hearing loss, auditory system plasticity and development, auditory system anatomy, and auditory behaviors such as modification of the acoustic startle response by prepulse inhibition (PPI) and fear-potentiated startle (FPS). Upon retiring from Northern Illinois University in September, 2000, I will be focusing on the phenotype screening project as well as other work determining the effects of exposure to an augmented acoustic environment on age-related hearing loss. Screening Protocol: Our protocol will use modulation of the acoustic startle response. First, the ability of the mouse to be startled will be assessed (severe hearing loss or neurological deficits would prevent this). Assuming that the mouse exhibits the startle reflex, we next test for PPI using tones (4, 12, 20 kHz) of 50-70 dB SPL as prepulses. Hearing-impaired mice will fail to exhibit PPI. At this point, the mouse would be tested for hearing using other methods (averaged brainstem response; otoacoustic emissions [see Glen Martin protocol]). If hearing seems to be okay, additional PPI testing will be performed to determine if "sensory gating" is within normal limits (deficits here have relevance to schizophrenia and other disorders). Next, fear-potentiated startle is tested (this taps into both learning and emotionality phenotypes). Collaborators include Dr. Kenneth Johnson (The Jackson Laboratory) and William Falls (University of Vermont), who is an expert on fear-potentiated startle. Contact: James Willott. Selected References: 1. Willott, J. F., Carlson, S., and Chen, H. Prepulse inhibition of the startle response in mice: Relationship to hearing loss and auditory system plasticity. Behavioral Neuroscience 108:703-713, 1994. 2. Willott, J. F. and Carlson, S. Modification of the acoustic startle response in hearing-impaired C57BL/6J mice: Prepulse augmentation and prolongation of prepulse inhibition. Behavioral Neuroscience 109:396-403, 1995. 3. Willott, J.F., Erway, L.C., Archer, J.R., and Harrison, D. Genetics of age-related hearing loss in mice: II. Strain differences and effects of caloric restriction on cochlear pathology and evoked response thresholds. Hearing Research 88:143-155, 1995. 4. Willott, J.F. and Bross, L.S. Morphological changes in the anteroventral cochlear nucleus that accompany sensorineural hearing loss in DBA/2J and C57BL/6J mice. Developmental Brain Research 91:218-226, 1996. 5. Willott, J.F. Aging and the auditory system. In U. Mohr, D.L. Dungworth, C.C. Capen, W.W. Carlton, J.P. Sundberg, & J.M. Ward (Eds.) Pathobiology of the Aging Mouse, ILSI Monographs on the Pathobiology of Aging Animals, ILSI Press, Washington, D.C., pp. 179-204, 1996. 6. Falls, W.A., Carlson, S., Turner, J.G., and Willott, J.F. Fear potentiated startle in two strains of inbred mice. Behavioral Neuroscience: 111: 855-861, 1997. 7. Willott, F.F., Milbrandt, J.C., Bross, L.S., and Caspary, D.M. Glycine immunoreactivity and receptor binding in the cochlear nucleus of C57BL/6J and CBA/CaJ mice: Effects of cochlear impairment and aging. Journal of Comparative Neurology: 385: 405-414., 1997. 8. Johnson, K.R., Erway, L.C., Cook, S.A., Willott, J.F., & Zheng, Q.Y. A major gene affecting age-related hearing loss in C57BL/6J mice. Hearing Research, 114: 83-92, 1997. 9. Carlson, S. and Willott, J.F. Caudal pontine reticular formation of C57BL/6J mice: Responses to startle stimuli, inhibition by tones, plasticity. Journal of Neurophysiology 79: 2603-2614, 1998. 10. Willott, J.F., Turner, J.G., Carlson, S., Ding, D., Bross, L.S., and Falls, W.M. The BALB/c mouse as an animal model for progressive sensorineural hearing loss. Hearing Research 115: 162-174, 1998. 11. Willott, J.F. and Erway, L.C. Genetics of age-related hearing loss in mice. IV. Cochlear pathology and hearing loss in 25 BXD recombinant inbred mouse strains. Hearing Research 119: 27-36, 1998. 12 . Turner, J. G. and Willott, J.F. Exposure to an augmented acoustic environment alters progressive hearing loss in DBA/2J mice. Hearing Research 118: 101-113, 1998. 13. Willott, J.F. and Turner, J.G. Prolonged exposure to an augmented acoustic environment ameliorates age-related auditory changes in C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice. Hearing Research 135: 78-88, 1999. 14. Falls, W.A. Kogan, J.H., Silva, A.J., Willott, J.F., Carlson, S, and Turner, J.G. CREB-ad mutant mice show deficient fear-potentiated startle but normal prepulse inhibition of startle. Behavioral Neuroscience In press. Also look for Willott, J.F. (Ed.) Handbook of Mouse Auditory Research: From Behavior to Molecular Biology. CRC Press: scheduled for 2001. |