Abstract: Abstract: Establishing appropriate animal models is critical for studying schizophrenia. Based on the Processing-Protection Theory, schizophrenia is mainly caused by deficits in gating of signal processing. Prepulse inhibition (PPI) is the reduction of the startle reflex when the startling stimulus is shortly preceded by a non-startling stimulus, and has been used as a model for studying sensorimotor gating. In humans, PPI can be enhanced by both attention and emotion. Our recent studies have shown that PPI in rats can be enhanced by auditory fear conditioning (AFC) but weakened by isolation rearing. Moreover, our recent studies have further shown that isolation rearing affects the effect of AFC on PPI. This paper reviews this line of studies and suggests that AFC-modulation of PPI is useful for advancing animal models for investigating both neural bases and cognitive features of schizophrenia

Key words: animal model of schizophrenia, sensorimotor gating, prepulse inhibition, emotional learning, fear conditioning, social isolation