Impairment of sensorimotor gating in mice deficient in the cell adhesion molecule L1 or its close homologue, CHL1.

Mutations in the gene encoding the cell adhesion molecule L1 or its close homologue, CHL1 (close homologue of L1), cause brain dysfunction in both humans and mice. Here we report that prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response is impaired in mice deficient in either L1 or CHL1. This newly identified feature may provide a basis for using these mice as models for sensorimotor gating impairment found in some neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia.