Gap detection of the pre-pulse induced inhibition of the acoustic startle response (ASR) for Control (N = 6), Tinnitus(+) (N = 14), and Tinnitus(-) (N = 8) mice at baseline, and 1, 4, and 8 weeks post-exposure.

<p>(A) Control mice exhibited no significant changes within each test frequency when comparing baseline and post-exposure ASR-inhibition. (B) Tinnitus(+) mice exhibited evidence of decreased performance on gap detection in high frequency bands after tone exposure. ASR-inhibition was significantly attenuated at 4 weeks post-exposure for the 2–32 kHz (BBN), 18–20 kHz, and 26–28 kHz bands, and at 8 weeks post-exposure for the 2–32 kHz and 26–28 kHz bands. (C) Tone exposure did not attenuate gap detection at high frequencies in Tinnitus(-) mice. Instead, Tinnitus(-) mice demonstrated gap detection deficits for BBN at 4 and 8 weeks post-exposure, and improved detection in the 6–8 kHz band at 8 weeks post-exposure. Each data point represents population mean ± SEM. *: p<0.05; **: p<.01.