Laterality and region-specific tau phosphorylation correlate with PTSD-related behavioral traits in rats exposed to repetitive low-level blast

Table 13 Correlations between p-tau Thr181 levels and parameters in acoustic startle and prepulse inhibition

Acoustic startle/prepulse inhibition
p-tau (Thr181)	Pearson		Kendall's tau-b		Spearman's rho
p-tau (Thr181)	Correlation coefficient	p value	Correlation coefficient	p value	Correlation coefficient	p value
Left anterior cortex
Pulse-prepulse	− .245	.496	− .111	.655	− .067	.855
PPI (%)	.317	.371	.289	.245	.467	.174
Right anterior cortex
Pulse-prepulse	− .221	.539	− .111	.655	− .042	.907
PPI (%)	.314	.376	.289	.245	.358	.310
Left Hippocampus
Pulse-prepulse	− .520	.123	− .378	.128	− .503	.138
PPI (%)	− .047	.898	− .244	.325	− .333	.347
Right Hippocampus
Pulse-prepulse	− .179	.620	− .156	.531	− .224	.533
PPI (%)	.430	.215	.244	.215	.418	.229
Left Amygdala
Pulse-prepulse	.506	.136	.289	.245	.479	.162
PPI (%)	.146	.688	.244	.325	.164	.651
Right Amygdala
Pulse-prepulse	− .240	.505	− .022	.929	− .127	.726
PPI (%)	− .105	.774	− .067	.788	− .091	.803
Left Posterior Cortex
Pulse-prepulse	− .080	.825	− .067	.788	− .067	.855
PPI (%)	− .247	.492	− .022	.929	− .018	.960
Right Posterior Cortex
Pulse-prepulse	.155	.669	.067	.788	.067	.855
PPI (%)	.151	.677	.111	.655	.127	.726

P-tau Thr181 levels were previously determined by Western blotting with the antibody AT270 at 40 weeks after blast exposure [21] and correlated with measures previously found to be affected in the same blast-exposed rats at 34 weeks following blast exposure [80]. Pulse refers to the first startle reading. Pulse-prepulse refers to background readings (prepulse) subtracted from the startle (pulse). Percent prepulse inhibition (PPI) was calculated with the formula 100 − (startle response on acoustic prepulse plus pulse stimulus trials/pulse stimulus response alone trials) × 100]. Five blast and five control animals were analyzed. There were no statistically significant correlations

ISSN: 2051-5960