Prepulse inhibition (PPI; also termed startle reduction or reflex modification, see Ref. [H.S. Hoffman, J.R. Ison, Reflex modification in the domain of startle: I. Some empirical findings and their implications for how the nervous system processes sensory input, Psychol. Rev. 87 (1980) 175-189]) provides an efficient and accurate method to assess both simple and complex acoustic discrimination in rodents [J.R. Ison, G.R. Hammond, Modification of the startle reflex in the rat by changes in the auditory and visual environments, J. Comp. Physiol. Psychol. 75 (1971) 435-452]. Assessment of acoustic processing using PPI is less time consuming than operant conditioning paradigms, allows for the testing of many subjects simultaneously, and largely eliminates confounds due to motivation and attention [M. Clark, G. Rosen, P. Tallal, R.H. Fitch, Impaired processing of complex auditory stimuli in rats with induced cerebrocortical microgyria, J. Cog. Neurosci. 12 (2000) 828-839]. Moreover, PPI procedures allow for data acquisition from the first day of testing, and can be used on rats as young as P14-15 [J.T. Friedman, A. Peiffer, M. Clark, A. Benasich, R.H. Fitch, Age and experience related improvements in gap detection in the rat, Dev. Brain Res. 152 (2004) 83-91; M. McClure, S. Threlkeld, G. Rosen, R.H. Fitch, Rapid auditory processing and learning deficits in rats with P1 versus P7 neonatal hypoxic-ischemic injury, Behav. Brain Res. 172 (2006) 114-121; S.W. Threlkeld, M.M. McClure, G.D. Rosen, R.H. Fitch, Developmental timeframes for the induction of microgyria and rapid auditory processing deficits in the rat, Brain Res. 1109 (2006) 22-31]. For these and additional reasons, the PPI paradigm has more recently been adapted to the assessment of complex acoustic discrimination (tone sequences and FM sweeps), and applied to the study of normally developing as well as neuropathologically affected rodent populations. The purpose of the current review is to provide a background on the PPI paradigm, and to summarize what has been learned more recently using modified versions of PPI with rodent models.