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Differences in startle reflex and prepulse inhibition in European‐Americans and African‐Americans
Author(s) -
Hasenkamp Wendy,
Norrholm Seth D.,
Green Amanda,
Lewison Barbara,
Boshoven William,
Keyes Megan,
Duncan Erica
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
psychophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.661
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1469-8986
pISSN - 0048-5772
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2008.00680.x
Subject(s) - prepulse inhibition , habituation , psychology , moro reflex , acoustic startle reflex , startle response , audiology , reflex , population , developmental psychology , neuroscience , medicine , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , psychiatry , environmental health
The acoustic startle reflex and its modulation by a prepulse are psychophysiological phenomena that are commonly studied to evaluate various aspects of information processing. Recent reports in human populations suggest that subjects from disparate racial backgrounds may have significant differences in the startle response. To determine if this pattern could be observed in our subject population and whether it extended to prepulse inhibition (PPI), we evaluated baseline startle parameters and PPI in 53 African‐Americans (AA) and 38 European‐Americans (EA). In AA compared to EA, mean startle magnitude and probability of blink response were lower, with no difference in habituation. PPI was greater in AA than EA when groups were matched on baseline startle magnitude. These findings support the idea of racial differences in startle response. Implications for study design are highlighted, and possible environmental and genetic influences are considered.