PMID- 1380910
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 19920930
LR  - 20190721
IS  - 0013-4694 (Print)
IS  - 0013-4694 (Linking)
VI  - 85
IP  - 4
DP  - 1992 Aug
TI  - Human startle reflex: technique and criteria for abnormal response.
PG  - 236-42
AB  - Because quantitative norms for the normal audiogenic startle response to repeated 
      stimuli have not been previously reported, we now describe a technique for 
      eliciting the startle response and analysing its habituation with repeated 
      stimuli. We used binaural 105 dB tones delivered in 5 blocks of 4 tones. 
      Successive blocks were separated by a 5 min period without tones stimuli and had 
      progressively shorter inter-stimulus intervals (ISIs) beginning with 5 min in the 
      first block and reducing to 1 min in the final, fifth block. We contrast the 
      response and its habituation in a group of 8 normal subjects with that in a 
      patient with clinically exaggerated startle. Based on the differences observed, 
      we propose that the following criteria may be used to ascertain an abnormally 
      increased startle response: (1) excessive duration of the myogenic response; (2) 
      persistence of extracranial responses after the initial two blocks of stimuli; 
      and (3) reduced habituation of the response (as measured by decreases in response 
      duration and in the area under the curve of rectified EMG for the orbicularis 
      oculi myogenic response). Our patient was abnormal on each of these measures. 
      This result is consistent with past qualitative reports which have indicated that 
      abnormal startle is associated both with excessive startle and with subnormal 
      habituation. Study of further patients with hyperekplexia will be necessary to 
      either confirm our data or modify our proposed criteria.
FAU - Chokroverty, S
AU  - Chokroverty S
AD  - Neurology Service, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Lyons, NJ.
FAU - Walczak, T
AU  - Walczak T
FAU - Hening, W
AU  - Hening W
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PL  - Ireland
TA  - Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol
JT  - Electroencephalography and clinical neurophysiology
JID - 0375035
SB  - IM
MH  - Acoustic Stimulation
MH  - Adult
MH  - Aged
MH  - Electromyography
MH  - Female
MH  - Humans
MH  - Male
MH  - Middle Aged
MH  - Oculomotor Muscles/physiology
MH  - Reaction Time/physiology
MH  - Reflex, Abnormal/*physiology
MH  - Reflex, Startle/*physiology
EDAT- 1992/08/01 00:00
MHDA- 1992/08/01 00:01
CRDT- 1992/08/01 00:00
PHST- 1992/08/01 00:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 1992/08/01 00:01 [medline]
PHST- 1992/08/01 00:00 [entrez]
AID - 10.1016/0168-5597(92)90111-n [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol. 1992 Aug;85(4):236-42. doi: 
      10.1016/0168-5597(92)90111-n.