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Habituation and Prepulse Inhibition of Acoustic Startle in Rodents
Published on: September 1, 2011
Abnormal affective startle modulation in individuals with psychogenic [corrected] movement disorder
Paul J Seignourel1, Kimberly Miller, Ida Kellison
1Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA. pseignou@phhp.ufl.edu
Summary
Individuals with psychogenic movement disorder (PMD) exhibit unusual physiological startle responses to both positive and negative emotional stimuli. This abnormal startle modulation may help differentiate PMD from malingering.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Psychology
Background:
- Psychogenic movement disorder (PMD) is poorly understood, with limited empirical research on emotional responsiveness.
- Emotional functioning and stress response are hypothesized to contribute to psychogenic symptoms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate emotional responsiveness in PMD by examining startle eyeblink reflex modulation.
- To explore potential differences in affective startle modulation between PMD patients and controls.
Main Methods:
- Assessed startle eyeblink reflex modulation using affective pictures (positive, neutral, negative) in 12 PMD patients and 12 controls.
- Recorded eyeblink responses to white noise bursts during picture viewing.
Main Results:
- Control participants showed typical startle modulation (potentiation by negative, inhibition by positive stimuli).
- PMD patients displayed significantly heightened startle responses to both positive and negative pictures compared to neutral stimuli.
- No correlation found between depression/anxiety symptoms and startle modulation in PMD patients.
Conclusions:
- Individuals with PMD exhibit aberrant physiological reactions to both positive and negative emotional stimuli.
- Abnormal affective startle modulation may serve as a biomarker to distinguish PMD from malingering.
- Further research with larger cohorts is needed to elucidate the role of emotions in conversion disorders.
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