Intracerebroventricular (icv) infusion of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) was previously found to produce a long-lasting, dose-dependent (0.1-1.0 microgram) increase in the amplitude of the acoustic startle reflex. The present study sought to determine where in the CNS CRF acts to increase startle. Intracisternal infusion of CRF (0.1-1.0 microgram) increased startle with a time course and ...

Escape swimming in the pteropod mollusk Clione limacina includes an initial startle response in which one or two powerful wing beats propel the animal up to 18 body lengths per second, followed by a variable period of fast swimming with a maximal speed of 6 body lengths per second. The initial startle response is the focus of this report. Two pairs of large pedal neurons (50-60 microns) initiat...

objective: this study aimed to examine the effects of haloperidol and amphetamine on human startle response modulated by emotionally-toned film clips. method: sixty participants, in two groups (one receiving haloperidol and the other receiving amphetamine) were tested using electromyography (emg) to measure eye-blink muscle (orbicular oculi) while different emotions were induced by six 2-minute...

The startle response, a simple defensive response to a sudden stimulus signaling proximal threat, has been well studied in rodents and humans, but has been rarely examined in monkeys. The first goal of the present studies was to develop a minimally immobilizing startle measurement paradigm and validate its usefulness by testing two core features of the startle response (habituation and graded r...

General startle reactivity reflects defensive reactivity independent of affective foreground. We examined the relationship between general startle reactivity and startle response to threat in three tasks with distinct manipulations of threat uncertainty. General startle reactivity was a stronger predictor of startle response during threat (vs. no threat) and uncertain (vs. certain threat). Thes...

Subjects with low/undetectable startle are usually excluded from startle studies but few reports not confounded by this factor, show reduced startle in healthy impulsive subjects, or clinical populations with disorders of affect and impulsivity but also in schizophrenia and its prodrome. We examined the relationship of startle reactivity including startle "non-responding" status to cognitive an...

Inhibitory glycine receptors (GlyRs) are pentameric ligand-gated anion channels with major roles in startle disease/hyperekplexia (GlyR α1), cortical neuronal migration/autism spectrum disorder (GlyR α2), and inflammatory pain sensitization/rhythmic breathing (GlyR α3). However, the role of the GlyR α4 subunit has remained enigmatic, because the corresponding human gene (GLRA4) is thought to be...

background and objectives: the complications associated with spastic cerebral palsy can affect the physical ability and quality of life of individuals suffering from this motor disorder. the aim of this study was to assess the relationship between quality of life and hypertonia in adults with spastic cerebral palsy. methods:   in an analytical cross sectional study, 70 subjects with the diagnos...