{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"institution":[{"name":"bioRxiv"}],"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,12]],"date-time":"2026-09-12T19:05:46Z","timestamp":1789239946403,"version":"build-2803163510"},"posted":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]]},"group-title":"Animal Behavior and Cognition","reference-count":40,"publisher":"openRxiv","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788912000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"National Institute of Health","award":["AG009524"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["AG009524"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>Tinnitus is one of the most common hearing disorders affecting one-third of Americans and is defined as the buzzing or ringing sound one perceives in one or both ears in the absence of an acoustic stimulus. One objective method for tinnitus screening in rodents is gap prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle reflex (GPIAS), a reduction in the abrupt motor response elicited by an intense auditory stimulus following a silent gap in noise. Reduced inhibition by gaps embedded in narrow-band noise is hypothesized to reflect the primary tinnitus pitch, as the tinnitus \u201cfills-in\u201d the gap. However, Lobarinas et al. (2013) identified a critical limitation: after acoustic trauma or hearing loss, rodents often exhibit markedly diminished acoustic startle reflexes, creating a \u201cfloor effect\u201d where further suppression becomes undetectable even if gap perception remains intact, leading to false-positive tinnitus screening results. To address this limitation, we utilized the CBA\/CaJ mouse model to assess tactile airpuff modification efficacy and employed a machine learning algorithm to classify startle responses, achieving 98% accuracy in differentiating startles from non-startles. We induced unilateral conductive hearing loss via ear plugging and found enhanced gap detection ability, contrasting with false-positive tinnitus indicators observed in rats by Lobarinas and colleagues. We also pharmacologically induced tinnitus via sodium salicylate, revealing frequency-specific alterations in gap detection patterns. Our findings suggest that differences in data analysis methodology, specifically using a machine learning algorithm to filter non-startle responses, may explain species-specific differences between mouse and rat models and significantly improve GPIAS validity as a tinnitus screening assessment tool.<\/jats:p>\n                <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Highlights<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>\u2022 Gap-startle paradigm objectively screens for tinnitus in rodent models.<\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>\u2022 Machine learning classification achieved 98% accuracy in startle detection.<\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>\u2022 Enhanced analysis resolved floor effects that previously limited paradigm validity.<\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>\u2022 Species differences explained by improved data filtering methodology.<\/jats:p>\n                <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.64898\/2026.09.05.747694","type":"posted-content","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T21:20:17Z","timestamp":1788988817000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Validating the Gap-Startle Paradigm for Tinnitus Detection: A Machine Learning Approach in CBA\/CaJ Mice"],"prefix":"10.64898","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-5865-860X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alyssa B.","family":"Price","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Global Center for Hearing and Speech Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1442-0909","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dimitri L.","family":"Brunelle","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Global Center for Hearing and Speech Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA"},{"name":"Dept. of Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA"},{"name":"Research Computing, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6367-4414","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Collin R.","family":"Park","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Global Center for Hearing and Speech Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA"},{"name":"Dept. of Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andrea S.","family":"Lowe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Global Center for Hearing and Speech Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6782-8142","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Edward","family":"Lobarinas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3059-1695","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joseph P.","family":"Walton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Global Center for Hearing and Speech Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA"},{"name":"Dept. of Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA"},{"name":"Dept. of Medical Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"54368","reference":[{"key":"2026091211400577000_2026.09.05.747694v1.1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0197-4580(02)00008-8"},{"key":"2026091211400577000_2026.09.05.747694v1.2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s101620010030"},{"key":"2026091211400577000_2026.09.05.747694v1.3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neurobiolaging.2021.10.014"},{"key":"2026091211400577000_2026.09.05.747694v1.4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.heares.2024.109153"},{"key":"2026091211400577000_2026.09.05.747694v1.5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1155\/2014\/658741"},{"key":"2026091211400577000_2026.09.05.747694v1.6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s42003-024-07040-5"},{"key":"2026091211400577000_2026.09.05.747694v1.7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/978-1-4899-2286-1_10"},{"key":"2026091211400577000_2026.09.05.747694v1.8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Dawson, M. 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