Parametric approaches towards understanding the effects of the preferential D3 receptor agonist pramipexole on prepulse inhibition in rats.

The preferential dopamine D3 receptor agonist pramipexole (PRA) disrupts prepulse inhibition (PPI) of acoustic startle, an operational measure of sensorimotor gating, in rats. Drug effects on PPI are sensitive to numerous experimental variables; proceeding with in-depth analyses of drug effects without a clear understanding of these variables is inefficient. The present studies characterized the impact on PRA-induced PPI deficits by a range of experimental parameters.