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Related Experiment Videos

Acoustic startle in maltreated children.

Rafael Klorman1, Dante Cicchetti, Joan E Thatcher

  • 1Department of Clinical and Social Sciences in Psychology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14620-0266, USA. rafael.klorman@rochester.edu

Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology
|July 2, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Maltreated boys showed altered startle eyeblink responses, with smaller increases in amplitude and slower blink latency compared to controls. This suggests trauma impacts the startle reflex differently based on sex and age in children.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Trauma Studies

Background:

  • Acoustic startle reactions, specifically the eyeblink component, are modulated by trauma.
  • Previous research on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) shows enhanced startle in adult males but inconsistent findings in females.
  • Limited research exists on startle responses in maltreated children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the eyeblink component of acoustic startle reactions in maltreated children.
  • To examine potential sex and age differences in these startle responses.

Main Methods:

  • Assessed eyeblink amplitude and blink latency in response to varying startle probe loudness.
  • Compared maltreated children (boys and girls) with non-maltreated comparison groups.

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  • Analyzed responses based on sex and age categories.

    • Main Results:

    • Maltreated boys, especially those with physical abuse history, exhibited smaller increments in eyeblink amplitude and smaller reductions in blink latency compared to control boys.
    • Younger maltreated girls showed smaller startle amplitude and slower onset latency than controls.
    • Older maltreated girls displayed the opposite pattern, with larger startle amplitude and faster onset latency than controls.

    Conclusions:

    • Childhood maltreatment significantly alters acoustic startle eyeblink responses in a sex- and age-dependent manner.
    • Findings in boys align with previous PTSD research, suggesting a consistent impact of trauma on startle reflex.
    • Inconsistent results in girls highlight the complexity of trauma's effects and warrant further investigation into developmental trajectories.