A rabbit preparation for neuro-behavioral auditory research.
Auditory thresholds were determined in rabbits by a classically conditioned nicitating membrane response established with a tone-conditioned stimulus and a shock-unconditioned stimulus. The audiograms obtained were comparable in shape and sensitivity to threshold curves measured for a variety of small mammals by other conditioning techniques. This procedure provides a quick and efficient method for measuring hearing sensitivity in a restrained preparation that permits precise stimulus control as well as providing an ideal situation for a variety of physiological studies of hearing in an awake, behaving animal.
D000818:Animals; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001309:Auditory Threshold / Q000502:physiology*; D003214:Conditioning, Classical; D008297:Male; D009541:Nictitating Membrane / Q000502:physiology*; D011817:Rabbits; D011930:Reaction Time