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Updated: Jun 26, 2026
Habituation and Prepulse Inhibition of Acoustic Startle in Rodents
Published on: September 1, 2011
Quantification of the auditory startle reflex in children
Mirte J Bakker1, Frits Boer, Johan N van der Meer
1Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 22660, 1100 DD Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Insights
The auditory startle reflex (ASR) in children can be adequately assessed using blink responses and combined muscle responses, which show distinct habituation patterns unlike sympathetic responses.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pediatric Medicine
- Psychophysiology
Background:
- The auditory startle reflex (ASR) is a valuable indicator of neurological function.
- Assessing ASR in children requires validated tools to understand developmental responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify an effective method for quantifying the auditory startle reflex (ASR) in pediatric populations.
- To investigate the impact of stimulus repetition, age, and gender on ASR parameters in children.
Main Methods:
- Electromyographic activity was recorded from multiple muscles (orbicularis oculi, masseter, sternocleidomastoid, deltoid, abductor pollicis brevis, quadriceps) and sympathetic skin response in 27 healthy children.
- ASR was elicited using eight consecutive auditory stimuli, measuring response probability and magnitude (area-under-the-curve).
- Quantifications included the combined response of all recorded muscles and the specific blink response.
Main Results:
- The blink response probability (78% in orbicularis oculi) showed minimal habituation with repeated stimuli, unlike the combined muscle response and sympathetic skin response.
- The magnitude of both the blink response and the combined response remained stable despite stimulus repetition.
- No significant effects of gender or age were observed on the measured ASR parameters.
Conclusions:
- The blink response and combined multi-muscle responses exhibit differential habituation patterns in children, similar to adults.
- Investigating ASR through multiple muscle responses provides a robust and appropriate method for pediatric assessment.
Objective:
To find an adequate tool to assess the auditory startle reflex (ASR) in children.
Methods:
We investigated the effect of stimulus repetition, gender and age on several quantifications of the ASR. ASR's were elicited by eight consecutive auditory stimuli in 27 healthy children. Electromyographic activity of orbicularis oculi, masseter, sternocleidomastoid, deltoid, abductor pollicis brevis, quadriceps muscles and the sympathetic skin response were recorded. ASR parameters (response probability in % and magnitude in area-under-the-curve) were: (1) combined response of all six muscles (2) blink response.
Results:
Response probabilities were 78% in orbicularis oculi (median latency 41 ms), 17% in sternocleidomastoid (median latency 66 ms), 10% in masseter (median latency 66 ms) and lower in other muscles. The ASR combined response probability and the sympathetic skin response significantly decreased with the repetitive stimuli, but the blink response probability did not. The magnitude (area-under-the-curve) of both the blink response and the combined response did not decrease with the repetitive stimuli. There were no gender or age effects.
Conclusion:
As in adults, the blink response and the combined response of multiple muscles show different habituation patterns in children.
Significance:
Investigation of multiple muscles seems appropriate to quantify the ASR in children.
