PMID- 26931342
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20170801
LR  - 20181113
IS  - 1438-7573 (Electronic)
IS  - 1525-3961 (Print)
IS  - 1438-7573 (Linking)
VI  - 17
IP  - 3
DP  - 2016 Jun
TI  - Elevated Acoustic Startle Responses in Humans: Relationship to Reduced Loudness 
      Discomfort Level, but not Self-Report of Hyperacusis.
PG  - 223-35
LID - 10.1007/s10162-016-0555-y [doi]
AB  - Increases in the acoustic startle response (ASR) of animals have been reported 
      following experimental manipulations to induce tinnitus, an auditory disorder 
      defined by phantom perception of sound. The increases in ASR have been proposed 
      to signify the development of hyperacusis, a clinical condition defined by 
      intolerance of normally tolerable sound levels. To test this proposal, the 
      present study compared ASR amplitude to measures of sound-level tolerance (SLT) 
      in humans, the only species in which SLT can be directly assessed. Participants 
      had clinically normal/near-normal hearing thresholds, were free of psychotropic 
      medications, and comprised people with tinnitus and without. ASR was measured as 
      eyeblink-related electromyographic activity in response to a noise pulse 
      presented at a range of levels and in two background conditions (noise and 
      quiet). SLT was measured as loudness discomfort level (LDL), the lowest level of 
      sound deemed uncomfortable, and via a questionnaire on the loudness of sounds in 
      everyday life. Regardless of tinnitus status, ASR amplitude at a given stimulus 
      level increased with decreasing LDL, but showed no relationship to SLT 
      self-reported via the questionnaire. These relationships (or lack thereof) could 
      not be attributed to hearing threshold, age, anxiety, or depression. The results 
      imply that increases in ASR in the animal work signify decreases in LDL 
      specifically and may not correspond to the development of hyperacusis as would be 
      self-reported by a clinic patient.
FAU - Knudson, Inge M
AU  - Knudson IM
AUID- ORCID: 0000-0003-2774-8011
AD  - Department of Otolaryngology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. 
      inge_knudson@meei.harvard.edu.
AD  - Department of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA, 
      USA. inge_knudson@meei.harvard.edu.
AD  - Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, 243 Charles St, 
      Boston, MA, 02114, USA. inge_knudson@meei.harvard.edu.
FAU - Melcher, Jennifer R
AU  - Melcher JR
AD  - Department of Otolaryngology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
AD  - Department of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA, 
      USA.
AD  - Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology Program, Harvard Division of Medical 
      Sciences, Boston, MA, USA.
AD  - Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, 243 Charles St, 
      Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
LA  - eng
GR  - P30 DC005209/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/United States
GR  - R21 DC012407/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/United States
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
DEP - 20160301
PL  - United States
TA  - J Assoc Res Otolaryngol
JT  - Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology : JARO
JID - 100892857
SB  - IM
MH  - Adult
MH  - Auditory Threshold/*physiology
MH  - Female
MH  - Humans
MH  - Hyperacusis/*physiopathology
MH  - Loudness Perception
MH  - Male
MH  - Middle Aged
MH  - Reflex, Startle/*physiology
PMC - PMC4854822
OTO - NOTNLM
OT  - acoustic reflex
OT  - hyperacusis
OT  - sound-level tolerance
EDAT- 2016/03/05 06:00
MHDA- 2017/08/02 06:00
PMCR- 2017/06/01
CRDT- 2016/03/03 06:00
PHST- 2015/12/28 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2016/02/01 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2016/03/03 06:00 [entrez]
PHST- 2016/03/05 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2017/08/02 06:00 [medline]
PHST- 2017/06/01 00:00 [pmc-release]
AID - 10.1007/s10162-016-0555-y [pii]
AID - 555 [pii]
AID - 10.1007/s10162-016-0555-y [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - J Assoc Res Otolaryngol. 2016 Jun;17(3):223-35. doi: 10.1007/s10162-016-0555-y. 
      Epub 2016 Mar 1.