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Updated: Aug 26, 2026

Habituation and Prepulse Inhibition of Acoustic Startle in Rodents
Published on: September 1, 2011
The effects of a startle on awareness of action
M T Sanegre1, J M Castellote, P Haggard
1Unitat d'EMG, Servei de Neurologia, Hospital Clínic, Departament de Medicina, Universitat de Barcelona, IDIBAPS (Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica August Pi i Sunyer), Barcelona, Spain.
Abstract:
The execution of a ballistic movement within a reaction time task paradigm is significantly speeded up when an unexpected startling auditory stimulus (SAS) is delivered together with the imperative signal. Using Libet's clock, we investigated whether acceleration involves also the subjective appraisal of the time of task execution. In trials containing the SAS, reaction time shortened to 68.7% of control values. However, subjective judgment of task execution remained a similar time with respect to the imperative signal as in control trials. The dissociation between task execution and its subjective perception indicates the existence of separate circuits for action execution and action awareness.
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