Pre pulse inhibition

Cntnap4 knock-in mice used in this study were generated by introducing eGFP in frame with Cntnap4 start codon. To characterize gene expression, eGFP was used to represent Cntnap4-expressing cells in the brain. Western blot analysis for Cntnap4 localization was performed on adult mouse cortex using a Cntnap4 rabbit polyclonal antibody described previously⁸ . Cntnap4-Fc fusion protein was applied to live neuronal cultures for in vitro localization studies. Evoked extracellular dopamine release was measured using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry of P60 in vitro slice preparations in WT, HET and KO animals¹¹ . For paired cell recordings between FS and excitatory neurons, Cntnap4 mice were crossed to a parvalbumin-cre:RFP reporter background to enable targeted physiological recordings. For synaptic ultrastructural analysis, P60 Cntnap4 WT, HET and KO animals were analyzed by electron microscopy, focusing on perisomatic inhibitory synaptic contacts. Cntnap4 mice were assessed by a number of behavioral analyses including grooming score and pre-pulse inhibition^{28 ,29} (San Diego Instruments). Pharmacological rescue was performed using indiplon (Tocris), which was administered acutely by oral gavage as well as haloperidol (Innovative Research of America), which was delivered chronically via subcutaneous slow-release pellet²⁷ .