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Auditory startle responses in help-seeking trauma survivors
1Department of Psychiatry, Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel.
Psychiatry Research
|March 3, 1997
Summary
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients exhibit heightened startle responses, specifically in eyeblink and skin conductance, compared to non-PTSD trauma survivors. These findings clarify previous controversial results in PTSD startle reflex research.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Trauma Studies
Background:
- Acoustic startle reflex studies in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have produced conflicting results.
- Despite controversial findings, PTSD patients frequently report experiencing an exaggerated startle response.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate eyeblink, skin conductance, and heart rate responses to acoustic startle stimuli in unmedicated individuals with and without PTSD.
- To address methodological limitations in prior research on the acoustic startle reflex in PTSD.
Main Methods:
- Fifty-eight unmedicated trauma survivors (30 with PTSD, 28 without PTSD) were exposed to 15 sudden auditory tones (95 dB, 500 ms, 1000 Hz).
- Eyeblink, skin conductance, and heart rate were measured as physiological responses to the acoustic stimuli.
Main Results:
- PTSD patients demonstrated significantly higher average eyeblink responses compared to the control group.
- Elevated average skin conductance responses were observed in PTSD patients during the startle test.
- No significant differences were found in heart rate responses between the groups.
Conclusions:
- The study supports the hypothesis of an exaggerated acoustic startle reflex in PTSD, particularly evident in eyeblink and skin conductance measures.
- Discrepancies with previous research may stem from variations in experimental conditions, such as environmental input levels and medication use.