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Objective. To study the characteristics of the early stages of sensory (inhibition of the P50 event-related potential) and sensorimotor (prestimulus modification of the acoustic startle reaction (ASR)) information processing in patients with schizophrenia taking account of their behavioral characteristics. Materials and methods. Two groups of patients were investigated using oculography and electroencephalography: aggressive patients (group A, 44 subjects) and nonaggressive patients (group NA, 27 subjects); a control group of 48 healthy subjects were also studied. Patients’ mental status was assessed on the PANSS. Results and conclusions. These studies identified features characteristic of schizophrenia patients, particularly increases in the latent period of ASR, deficiency of prestimulus inhibition (PSI) (with delay intervals of 60 msec), and inhibition of P50 relative to normal. The aggressivity factor influenced the lateralized features of these deviations in ASR only in group A. Group NA showed an increase in baseline ASR amplitude and a decrease in prestimulus ASR amplitude. Analysis of P50 showed a significant increase in amplitude and a decrease in latency in responses to the second stimulus in group NA. A significant increase on the G14 scale (Poor impulse control) and the nature of its correlation with ASR and P50 measures in group A suggested that increased impulsivity was an important factor in aggressive behavior in the cohort of patients studied here. The characteristics of ASR and P50 typical of group NA provided evidence of increased sensitivity to external stimuli, which may be associated with personality features inhibiting aggression. These results led to the conclusion that measures of the early stages of information processing can be regarded as potential predictors of aggressive behavior in schizophrenia patients.

Firearm training could focus on more practical shooting and tactical training if students pass the examination at an earlier stage during their basic training. The aim of this study is to investigate whether minimizing the recoil, andtherefore the startle reaction, and/or psychological factors could increase the shooting scores. This study employs a quasi-experimental design involving two groups of police students: 28 in the control group and 27 in the interventiongroup. The intervention group received an adjusted version of the Sig Sauer handgun that was changed to fire .22long rifle caliber ammunition. Although the study group had the best results (86%) over the past fifteen semesters,there was no difference in the shooting performance between the control and the intervention groups, i.e., minimizing recoil in the beginning of the training did not increase the shooting scores. The results of this study indicate that female students with high cognitive anxiety have lower shooting scores than male students with less cognitive anxiety.These findings are discussed with special regard to equalizing any gender differences in firearm training.

Epigenetic changes are currently invoked as explanations for both the chronicity and tenacity of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a heterogeneous condition showing varying, sometimes idiosyncratic responses to treatment. This study evaluated epigenetic markers in the context of a randomized clinical trial of PTSD patients undergoing prolonged-exposure psychotherapy with and without a hydrocortisone augmentation prior to each session. The purpose of the longitudinal epigenome-wide analyses was to identify predictors of recovery (from pretreatment data) or markers associated with symptom change (based on differences between pre- and post-therapy epigenetic changes). The results of these analyses identified the CREB–BDNF signaling pathway, previously linked to startle reaction and fear learning and memory processes, as a convergent marker predicting both symptom change and severity. Several previous-reported resilience markers were also identified (FKBP5, NR3C1, SDK1, and MAD1L1) to associate with PTSD recovery in this study. Especially, the methylation levels of FKBP5 in the gene body region decreased significantly as CAPS score decreased in responders, while no changes occurred in nonresponders. These biomarkers may have future utility in understanding clinical recovery in PTSD and potential applications in predicting treatment effects.

Comprehensive analysis is required for the accurate diagnosis of MV2-type sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) because it shows a wide clinicopathological spectrum. Here, we describe the clinical findings and neuropathologic observations of an autopsy-confirmed MV2K-type sCJD case with extensive spongiform changes of the cerebral cortex. In the early disease stages, the patient exhibited gait disturbance with ataxia and gradually showed cognitive dysfunction. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance images revealed hyperintense regions in the cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, and particularly in the thalamus. Prion protein (PrP) gene analysis revealed no mutations, and polymorphic codon 129 exhibited methionine and valine heterozygosity. During the course of the disease, a startle reaction was observed, whereas myoclonus was not observed. Electroencephalography showed no periodic sharp wave complexes. The patient died at age 61 years with 13 months total disease duration and did not reach the akinetic mutism state. Pathologic investigation revealed extensive fine vacuole-type spongiform change in the cerebral cortex, and the appearance of vacuolation tended to be more pronounced in the deeper layers. Numerous kuru plaques were observed in the cerebellum. PrP immunostaining revealed extensive diffuse synaptic-type PrP deposition in the cerebral cortex, and the finding was prominent in the deeper layer with perineuronal-type PrP deposition. In the limbic system, basal ganglia, and thalamus, mixed small plaque-type PrP with synaptic-type PrP deposition was observed. In the cerebellar cortex, diffuse synaptic-type PrP depositions were observed with numerous strongly immunopositive plaques. Western blot analysis of examined brain samples revealed mixed type 2 PrPSc (scrapie type) and intermediate-type PrPSc .

Although there have been no reports of facial mimicry in patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), we encountered a patient with genetic CJD with prion protein gene codon 180 mutation (V180I gCJD) who apparently showed this interesting clinical finding. The patient was an 87-year-old Japanese woman, and the first observed CJD symptom was poor spontaneity. She gradually showed cognitive dysfunction and subsequently gait disturbance. A prion protein gene analysis revealed a V180I mutation with methionine homozygosity at codon 129. Facial mimicry was observed 7 months after disease onset and continued for approximately 9 months. Pathological laughing and startle reaction were also observed during approximately the same period, whereas myoclonus was observed at a later stage, 12 months after disease onset, and was very mild in degree. Electroencephalography studies showed a diffuse slow basic pattern without periodic sharp wave complexes. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging showed extensive hyperintensity in the cerebral cortex, and there was also hyperintensity with edematous swelling in the same regions on T2-weighted and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images. On the basis of the magnetic resonance imaging findings and the findings of previous case reports of V180I gCJD, we speculate that the characteristic extensive cerebrocortical involvement observed in V180I gCJD was implicated in the pathogenesis of the facial mimicry observed in this case.

INTRODUCTION: Research has shown that astronauts performing extravehicular activities may be exposed, under certain conditions, to undesired electrical hazards. This study used computer models to determine whether these undesired induced electrical currents could be responsible for involuntary neuromuscular activity caused by either large diameter peripheral nerve activation or reflex activity from cutaneous afferent stimulation.METHODS: A multiresolution variant of the admittance method along with a magnetic resonance image millimeter resolution model of a male human body were used to calculate the following: 1) induced electric fields; 2) resistance between contact areas in a Extravehicular Mobility Unit spacesuit; 3) currents induced in the human body; 4) the physiological effects of these electrical exposures; and 5) the risk to the crew during extravehicular activities.RESULTS: Using typical EMU shock exposure conditions, with a 15V source, the current density magnitudes and total current injected are well above previously reported startle reaction thresholds. This indicates that, under the considered conditions during a spacewalk in the charged ionospheric plasma of space, astronauts could experience possibly harmful involuntary motor response and sensory pain nerve activation.Hamilton DR. Electrical shock hazard severity estimation during extravehicular activity for the International Space Station. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2021; 92(4):231239.

This chapter explores where and how the microwave auditory effect or microwave induced thermoelastic wave phenomenon may be applied for practical purposes in life science, medicine, and other realms of human endeavors. An interesting and potentially significant diagnostic imaging applications of the microwave thermoelastic pressure wave interaction and some applied aspects of the microwave auditory effects are described. They include a discussion on early and current investigations of microwave thermoacoustic tomography (MTT) imaging and some applied aspects of the microwave auditory effects such as the recently reported covert personnel attacks at some diplomatic missions and the startle reaction from a sudden unexpected microwave auditory stimulus potentially causing the aircraft pilot to experience spatial disorientation during flight.

A startling auditory stimulus (SAS) induces a reflex response involving, among other reactions, a strong contraction of the orbicularis oculi muscle (OOc) and subsequent eye closure. A SAS also induces the StartReact effect, a significant shortening of reaction time in subjects ready for task execution. We examined the obvious conflict appearing when a StartReact paradigm requires participants with eyes closed to open their eyes to look for a visual target. We recorded OOc EMG activity and eyelid movements in healthy volunteers who were instructed to open their eyes at perception of a somatosensory imperative stimulus (IS) and locate the position of a Libet's clock's hand shown on a computer screen at 80 cm distance. In 6 out of 20 trials, we delivered a SAS simultaneously with the IS. The main outcome measures were reaction time at onset of eyelid movement and the time gap (TG) separating subjective assessment of the clock's hand position from real IS issuing. Control experiments included reaction time to eye closing and target location with eyes open to the same IS. Reaction time was significantly faster in SAS than in noSAS trials and slower for eye opening than for eye closing in both conditions. In the eye-opening task, TG was significantly shorter in SAS with respect to noSAS trials, despite the presence of the SAS-related burst in the OOc before EMG cessation. Our results indicate that the StartReact effect speeds up eye opening and location of a target in the visual field despite the startle reaction opposing the task.

(1) Background: Acute acoustic (sound) stimulus prompts a state of defensive motivation in which unconscious muscle responses are markedly enhanced in humans. The orbicularis oculi (OO) of the eye is an easily accessed muscle common for acoustic startle reaction/response/reflex (ASR) investigations and is the muscle of interest in this study. Although the ASR can provide insights about numerous clinical conditions, existing methodologies (Electromyogram, EMG) limit the usability of the method in real clinical conditions. (2) Objective: With EMG-free muscle recording in mind, our primary aim was to identify and investigate potential correlations in the responses of individual and cooperative OO muscles to various acoustic stimuli using a mobile and wire-free system. Our secondary aim was to investigate potential altered responses to high and also relatively low intensity acoustics at different frequencies in both sitting and standing positions through the use of biaural sound induction and video diagnostic techniques and software. (3) Methods: This study used a mobile-phone acoustic startle response monitoring system application to collect blink amplitude and velocity data on healthy males, aged 18&ndash, 28 community cohorts during (n = 30) in both sitting and standing postures. The iPhone X application delivers specific sound parameters and detects blinking responses to acoustic stimulus (in millisecond resolution) to study the responses of the blinking reflex to acoustic sounds in standing and sitting positions by using multiple acoustic test sets of different frequencies and amplitudes introduced as acute sound stimuli (&lt, 0.5 s). The single acoustic battery of 15 pure-square wave sounds consisted of frequencies and amplitudes between 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz scales using 65, 90, and 105 dB (e.g., 3000 Hz_90 dB). (4) Results: Results show that there was a synchronization of amplitude and velocity between both eyes to all acoustic startles. Significant differences (p = 0.01) in blinking reaction time between sitting vs. standing at the high intensity (105 dB) 500 Hz acoustic test set was discovered. Interestingly, a highly significant difference (p &lt, 0.001) in response times between test sets 500 Hz_105 dB and 4000 Hz_105 dB was identified. (5) Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first mobile phone-based acoustic battery used to detect and report significant ASR responses to specific frequencies and amplitudes of sound stimulus with corresponding sitting and standing conditions. The results from this experiment indicate the potential significance of using the specific frequency, amplitude, and postural conditions (as never before identified) which can open new horizons for ASR to be used for diagnosis and monitoring in numerous clinical and remote or isolated conditions.

Startle reaction is an alarm behavior observed in animal groups during anti-predatory response or fear-inducing stimulation. This behavior is characterized by spontaneous change in heading direction and increasing speed that can drastically affect group coordination. In this work, we leverage a mathematical model of fish social behavior to recreate startle reaction. Specifically, we model startle reaction through a biased jump diffusion process, where the jumps process captures sudden and fast changes of heading direction observed during this escaping behavior. Then, using extensive numerical simulations, we test their effects on group of fish including an informed individual prescribing the direction of motion and several followers by systematically varying the frequency and intensity of the sudden and fast turns introduced in the heading direction of a single individual. We demonstrate the emergence of novel form of leadership and phase transition between complete ordered states and disorganized states. In addition, we evidence that at specific range of frequencies and amplitudes, the initiation of this behavior might be utilized to divert group followers from their reference trajectory while keeping them in a synchronized state with the startling individual. Our findings offer a new paradigm to recreate the emergence of leadership applicable to divert or contain multi-vehicle systems.

In this work, we introduce the preliminary analysis of driver’s physiological data after receiving take-over request (TOR). Studies have shown that physiological measurements on drivers may provide better insights into the cognitive behavior and performance of drivers. Our goal is to examine the effect of two common TOR modalities (visual-auditory and generic auditory), in the limited take-over time budget, on psychophysical states and take-over behavior of the drivers. We applied multimodal physiological data streams -i.e. eye-tracker, EEG, GSR and PPG to have a comprehensive overview of driver’s workload, stress and reaction time for each TOR modality. The preliminary results suggest that visual-auditory modality leads to a safer take-over behavior than generic auditory tone. EEG and heart rate variability results showed a significantly greater engagement on the visual-auditory TOR than for the auditory TOR. Results of this study can be used to investigate the safer modality inducing the least startle reactions.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a trauma-induced disorder characterized with impaired cognitive function. BDNF modulates cognition and is involved in neuroprotection and neurocognitive processing. The BDNF Val66Met polymorphism was found to influence cognitive functions. In PTSD, carriers of the BDNF GG genotype had better spatial processing of navigation performance, and lower hyperarousal and startle reaction than A allele carriers. The hypothesis was that veterans with PTSD, carriers of the BDNF Val66Met A allele, will show reduced cognitive skills. The study included 315 male Caucasian combat veterans, with (N = 199) or without (N = 116) current and chronic PTSD. Cognition was assessed using the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure (ROCF) test that determines visual-spatial perception and short and long-term visual memory function. The results revealed that cognitive decline measured with ROCF test was associated with PTSD. Presence of the BDNF Val66Met GG genotype in veterans with PTSD, but not in veterans without PTSD, showed protective association with visual short-term memory and visual object manipulation after few seconds (executive function), assessed with the ROCF immediate recall test, compared to the A carriers with PTSD. In conclusion, this was the first study to confirm the association between BDNF Val66Met and memory and attention performed with ROCF in male veterans with PTSD. The results corroborated that the BDNF Val66Met A allele, compared to GG genotype, is associated with poorer short-term visual memory and attention linked with executive functions, in veterans with PTSD.

Although epileptic seizures occur in approximately a quarter of patients with Aicardi-Goutières syndrome (AGS), their phenotypic and electrophysiological characterization remains elusive. The aim of our study was to characterize epilepsy phenotypes and electroencephalographic (EEG) patterns in AGS and look for possible correlations with clinical, genetic and neuroradiological features.We selected patients with an established AGS diagnosis followed at three Italian reference centers. Medical records, EEGs and MRI/CT findings were reviewed. EEGs were independently and blindly reviewed by three board-certified pediatric epileptologists. Chi square and Fisher's exact tests were used to test associations between epilepsy and EEG feature categories and clinical, radiological and genetic variables.Twenty-seven patients were enrolled. We reviewed 63 EEGs and at least one brain MRI scan per patient. Epilepsy, mainly in the form of epileptic spasms and focal seizures, was present in 37 % of the cohort; mean age at epilepsy onset was 9.5 months (range 1-36). The presence of epilepsy was associated with calcification severity (p = 0.016) and startle reactions (p = 0.05). Organization of EEG electrical activity appeared to be disrupted or markedly disrupted in 73 % of cases. Severe EEG disorganization correlated with microcephaly (p 0.001) and highly abnormal MRI T2-weighted signal intensity in white matter (p = 0.022). Physiological organization of the EEG was found to be better preserved during sleep (87 %) than wakefulness (38 %). Focal slow activity was recorded in more than one third of cases. Fast activity, either diffuse or with frontal location, was more frequent in the awake state (78 %) than in sleep (50 %). Interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) were present in 33 % of awake and 45 % of sleep recordings. IEDs during sleep were associated with a higher risk of a epileptic seizures (p = 0.008).The hallmarks of EEG recordings in AGS were found to be: disruption of electrical organization, the presence of focal slow and fast activity, and the presence of IEDs, both in patients with and in those without epilepsy. The associations between epilepsy and calcification and between EEG pattern and the finding of a highly abnormal white matter T2 signal intensity suggest a common anatomical correlate. However, the complex anatomical-electroclinical basis of AGS-related epilepsy still requires further elucidation.

A GWAS study recently demonstrated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the human GLRB gene of individuals with a prevalence for agoraphobia. GLRB encodes the glycine receptor (GlyRs) β subunit. The identified SNPs are localized within the gene flanking regions (3′ and 5′ UTRs) and intronic regions. It was suggested that these nucleotide polymorphisms modify GlyRs expression and phenotypic behavior in humans contributing to an anxiety phenotype as a mild form of hyperekplexia. Hyperekplexia is a human neuromotor disorder with massive startle phenotypes due to mutations in genes encoding GlyRs subunits. GLRA1 mutations have been more commonly observed than GLRB mutations. If an anxiety phenotype contributes to the hyperekplexia disease pattern has not been investigated yet. Here, we compared two mouse models harboring either a mutation in the murine Glra1 or Glrb gene with regard to anxiety and startle phenotypes. Homozygous spasmodic animals carrying a Glra1 point mutation (alanine 52 to serine) displayed abnormally enhanced startle responses. Moreover, spasmodic mice exhibited significant changes in fear-related behaviors (freezing, rearing and time spent on back) analyzed during the startle paradigm, even in a neutral context. Spastic mice exhibit reduced expression levels of the full-length GlyRs β subunit due to aberrant splicing of the Glrb gene. Heterozygous animals appear normal without an obvious behavioral phenotype and thus might reflect the human situation analyzed in the GWAS study on agoraphobia and startle. In contrast to spasmodic mice, heterozygous spastic animals revealed no startle phenotype in a neutral as well as a conditioning context. Other mechanisms such as a modulatory function of the GlyRs β subunit within glycinergic circuits in neuronal networks important for fear and fear-related behavior may exist. Possibly, in human additional changes in fear and fear-related circuits either due to gene-gene interactions e.g., with GLRA1 genes or epigenetic factors are necessary to create the agoraphobia and in particular the startle phenotype.

BACKGROUND A group of diplegic cerebral palsied (CP) children presents six precise signs that can be easily observed during clinical examinations, physiotherapy sessions and everyday activities. These signs are: startle reaction, upper limbs in startle position, averted-eye gaze, grimaces, eye blinking and posture freezing. METHODS In a population of 32 diplegic CP children (aged 1-8 years) perceptual signs were retrospectively identified through videos to verify their stability in the same child over time. RESULTS Startle reaction, upper limb in startle position and posture freezing were the most frequently observed signs and the easiest to recognize with the highest agreement in both observations (P

Several studies have implied gender differences in startle reaction to emotional facial expressions. However, few studies have been designed to investigate the difference between responding to emotional female vs. male faces, nor gender differences in responses. The present experiment investigated startle EMG responses to a startle probe while viewing pictures of neutral, happy, angry, fearful, and sad facial expressions presented by female and male models. Participants were divided into female and male groups. Results showed that emotional facial expressions interact with model gender to produce startle potentiation to a probe: greater responses were found while viewing angry expressions by male models, and while viewing happy faces by female models. There were no differences in responses between male and female participants. We argue that these findings underline theimportance of controlling for model gender in research using facial expressions as stimuli.

Recent studies have provided clear and convincing evidence that chronic stress contributes significantly to the pathogenesis and expression of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). This bibliography is a systematic review on the impact of chronic stress on the cardiovascular system with a special reflection on the Libyan conflict. It is divided into two parts, Part 1 deals with types of chronic stresses, while Part 2 deals with mechanisms involved in chronic stress and their treatments. Medline/PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases were used to search for peer-reviewed papers dealing with the review theme. Stress can be classified into acute stress and chronic stress. Chronic stress can stem from underlying factors such as economic stress, social isolation stress, posttraumatic stress, and job strain stress. Economic stress is emerging as an important determinant of perceived health where different studies have found an inverse trend between risk factor burden and cardiovascular disease prevalence in urban and rural communities in high-, middle-, and low-income regions. Social stress is another factor that has been reported to be associated with a 2–3 fold increase in the incidence of CVD. Moreover, multiple studies have shown that patients suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder have increased resting heart rate, increased startle reaction, and increased blood pressure as responses to traumatic events. CVD is one of the health outcomes whose links with work stress have been well established based on numerous prospective studies.

Item does not contain fulltext This study was inspired by the case of a robbery victim who was startled and reminded of the crime upon hearing a stranger's voice, while not clearly recognizing the speaker. To investigate whether specific voices can modulate startle reactions and thereby predict speaker identification, we presented an audio hijack scenario to 84 participants and afterwards asked them to identify the perpetrator among neutral and negative speech fragments, while measuring flash-evoked eye-blink startle responses. Furthermore, we addressed data-driven cognitive processing during the audio scenario as a potential moderator in voice discrimination. Negative speech and the perpetrator’s voice led to potentiated startle. Enhanced startle was positively associated with voice discrimination, but only in neutral speech fragments. In negative fragments, this association was weakened as a function of self-reported levels of data-driven processing during encoding. Thus, startle responses can generally predict accurate voice recognition, but speech emotionality and cognitive processing moderate this relationship. 9 p.

Acoustic noise is one of the most persistent pitfalls of the operators of construction, mining and agricultural machineries, predominantly hearing loss or weak hearing. Also noise include decreased productivity, increased heart rate, and increased blood pressure, startle reaction, and other cardiovascular and psychophysiological system changes (Mansoor, et al. 2011, 2012). The aim of this reaserch was to investigate the impact of noise levels emitted from the agricultural tractors under field operations on the operator safety. Three types of tractors used in this study were Nasr, Belarus and Universal/UTB (Romani). They are without cabin and represent about 76% of the total number of tractors used in Egypt (Economic affair sector, 2012). The noise emitted from them was monitored and evaluated under plowing and land leveling operations as a heavy duty operation field. The data was collected at different engine speed and gears as recommended by the operator for each operation. Measurements of noise levels were taken with the use of Cirrus CR 110A doseBadge and RC 110A reader unit. The noise level measurements were performed in accordance with the Egyptian environmental law (EEL) number 4/1994 modified issue in 2012. Results show that the sound pressure level (SPL) in operator ear and the noise dose % from all tractors under all cases were more than EEL allowable 90 dBA criterion level for 8 hour of operation. The obtained results indicated that the noise levels with “A” frequency weighting (LAeqdB) for all tractors loaded with chisel plow were the highest measured values. The noise levels emitted from the Nasr tractor were the highest and ranged from 102 to 107 dBA, for Belarus tractor were ranged from 99 to 105 dBA and for UTB tractor were ranged from 96 to 104 dBA. The daily noise exposure levels (Lex(8)dB) from Nasr, Belarus and UTB tractors were 105, 102 and 100 dBA and the corresponding noise dose % as function of equivalent-continuous sound pressure level were 800%, 560% and 400% respectively. The results showed that there was highly significant difference in the systolic blood pressure (SBP) before and after work shift. Similar results were found for the diastolic blood pressure (DBP). For the classification of blood pressure among the operators before and after work shift, majority of the operators was under stage one hypertension (64.5 %), followed by pre-hypertension (28.4 %) and stage two hypertension (7.1%). This study showed that there was association between noise exposure and blood pressure among the operators. It is recommended that; the tractors operators must use one of hear protecting tool to increase working hours, arrange work schedules to let operators exchange work activities so that no one person is exposed to the noise for more than permissible hours in one day and proved tractors with a cabin for the tractors types under this study.

Throughout history, there has always been a need to find out whether people are telling the truth. Classical deception detection methods, such as polygraph-based techniques, have so far failed to accurately and reliably detect deception, as they are limited in various aspects. Therefore, results are susceptible to manipulation. In the current study, we attempt to improve lie detection using a classical conditioning procedure with startle response as an outcome variable. Thirty-six participants were asked to report true and false sentences (10 each) before the test procedure. We knew the truth value of only 50% of the sentences (the value of the other 50% was revealed after the experiment was over). Aversive conditioning was used, i.e. participants were presented with the unconditioned stimulus (air blast of 5 bar, 50 ms; contingency of 75%) when uttering known lies. There was a significant difference in participants’ startle reaction to false statements compared to truths, both in the known lies category and, more importantly, in the unknown lies category. We recommend further investigation of this phenomenon by changing the conditioning parameters (duration, contingency) in order to optimize this promising method and achieve a higher level of accuracy.

A 78-year-old Japanese woman presented with slow progressive disorientation and memory disturbances. Pathological laughing was observed at an early disease stage and continued for several months. Around the same time, the patient began to exhibit an exaggerated startle reaction and mild myoclonus. The pathological laughing and startle reaction disappeared before the patient reached an akinetic mutism state approximately 16 months after symptom onset. MRI showed extensive hyperintensity of the cerebral cortex and striatum on diffusion-weighted images, and swelling in the cerebral cortex on T2-weighted and fluid attenuated inversion recovery images. A prion protein (PrP) gene analysis revealed a V180I mutation with methionine homozygosity at codon 129. Neuropathological examination showed extensive spongiform changes with characteristic various-sized and non-confluent (VaSNoC) vacuoles in the cerebral neocortex and striatum. Gliosis and hypertrophic astrocytosis were generally mild in character. Neurons were relatively preserved in number. We believe that pathological laughing and an exaggerated startle reaction are possible pathognomonic findings of V180I genetic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Based on the pathological findings of the present case, the presence of the VaSNoC-type spongiform changes with relative preservation of the neurons in the cerebral cortex and a lack of apparent brainstem involvement are associated at least in part with the pathological laughing and startle reaction.

The R3 component of the electrically evoked blink reflex may form part of a startle reaction. Acoustic startle responses are augmented by yohimbine, an α2-adrenoceptor antagonist that blocks α2-autoreceptors, and are potentiated by opioid receptor blockade. To investigate these influences on electrically evoked startle responses, 16 mg yohimbine, with (16 participants) or without 50 mg naltrexone (23 participants), was administered in separate double-blind placebo-controlled cross-over experiments. In each experiment, R3 (a probable component of the startle response) was examined before and after high-frequency electrical stimulation of the forearm, a procedure that initiates inhibitory pain controls. Anxiety and somatic symptoms were greater after yohimbine than placebo, and were potentiated by naltrexone. Pain ratings for the electrically evoked startle stimuli decreased after high-frequency electrical stimulation in the placebo session but remained stable after drug administration. Yohimbine with naltrexone, but not yohimbine alone, also blocked an inhibitory effect of high-frequency electrical stimulation on electrically evoked sharp sensations and R3. Together, the findings suggest that adding naltrexone to yohimbine potentiated anxiety and blocked inhibitory influences of high-frequency electrical stimulation on electrically evoked sensations and startle responses. Thus, opioid peptides could reduce activity in nociceptive and startle-reflex pathways, or inhibit crosstalk between these pathways. Failure of this inhibitory opioid influence might be important in chronically painful conditions that are aggravated by startle stimuli.

The Opisthorchis felineus (O. felineus), one of the species from the Opisthorchiidae family, causes severe disorders in the human and animal organism; therefore, it is the subject of topical scientific studies. In this work, a comparative study of the influence of the O. felineus invasions on the change in the blood cell composition, bone marrow hematopoiesis, and behavioral startle reflex was conducted in the C57BL/6 mice and Syrian hamsters two weeks after infection. Significant interspecies differences in many indices were found. It was established that the relative weight of the spleen (the main peripheral immune system organ) is significantly larger in mice than in hamsters. Moreover, the O. felineus invasion caused the hypertrophy of the spleen only in mice. More pronounced deviations from the norm in the blood cell composition, that were accompanied by the activation of myelo- and erythropoiesis, were observed in hamsters. The established changes in the blood in mice were not accompanied by changes in the bone marrow colony-forming activity. Mice also differed from hamsters by the startle reaction to the acoustic signal both by the severity of the reaction and prepulse inhibition value. No habituation reaction to the sound signal was observed in the infected hamsters. In addition, maturation of the O. felineus worms in hamsters occurred earlier than in mice. The data obtained indicate the increased resistance of mice to the O. feluneus infection; however, they do not exclude the possibility of using mice as a model during the study of the processes occurring in the host organism against the background of the experimental opisthorchiasis development.

Passive limb displacement is routinely used to assess muscle tone. If we attempt to quantify muscle stiffness using mechanical devices, it is important to know whether kinematic stimuli are able to trigger startle reactions. Whether kinematic stimuli are able to elicit a startle reflex and to accelerate prepared voluntary movements (StartReact effect) has not been studied extensively to date. Eleven healthy subjects were suspended in an exoskeleton and were exposed to passive left knee flexion (KF) at three intensities, occasionally replaced by fast right KF. Upon perceiving the movement subjects were asked to perform right wrist extension (WE), assessed by extensor carpi radialis (ECR) electromyographic activity. ECR latencies were shortest in fast trials. Startle responses were present in most fast trials, yet being significantly accelerated and larger with right versus left KF, since the former occurred less frequently and thus less expectedly. Startle responses were associated with earlier and larger ECR responses (StartReact effect), with the largest effect again upon right KF. The results provide evidence that kinematic stimuli are able to elicit both startle reflexes and a StartReact effect, which depend on stimulus intensity and anticipation, as well as on the subjects' preparedness to respond. This study was supported by Instituto de Salud Carlos III Grant ESPY 1281-15 and Government of Spain Grant PRX12/00349 to Juan M. Castellote. Sí

Perseaamericana Mill used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various ailments and has antibacterial, antifungal, anti-viral and wound-healing properties. In the present study, antioxidant and antibacterial activity of different extracts of Perseaamericana Mill were investigated. Antioxidant potential of plant extracts was evaluated by means of total phenolic, total flavonoids content and DPPH radical scavenging activity. The highest phenolic and flanovoid content was observed in methanol extract while the lowest was achieved in aqueous extract. At concentration of 500 SOH g/mL, DPPH radical scavenging activity was found to be highest in methanol extract (70%) and lowest in aqueous extract (51%). Antibacterial activity of different extracts was evaluated by using the disk diffusion method. Highest antibacterial activity was observed with methanol extract against S. pyogenes, while minimum activity was observed with aqueous extract against E.coli.

Tense Future: Modernism, Total War, Encyclopedic Form, by Paul Saint-Amour. Oxford University Press, 2015. 347 pages. In a recent NewYork Times blog entry entitled "Waiting for the Bomb to Drop," Paul Saint-Amour writes what amounts to an addendum to his new book, Tense Future: Modernism, Total War, and Encyclopedic Form. In this short piece, he outlines the difficult realities of readying oneself for inevitable doom in the twenty-first century, tracing the affective state of constant and incessant worry from drone warfare to ecological collapse. He writes, for instance, that the immanent threat presented by drones produces Pakistani civilians who suffer from "sleeplessness, bad dreams, loss of appetite, fainting, amplified startle reactions, outbursts of anger and emotional breakdowns" (2015). But even when drones are not attacking, he asserts, the potential for violence and surveillance has become a part of everyday life. Turning to the ecological, Saint-Amour articulates a crucial connection between drone warfare and climate change: like the costs of warfare, the geographical effects of climate change are distributed unevenly. The global north, for the most part, can exist as it climate change is not happening, as though it is a distant threat exoticized and dehumanized by images of drifting and unmoored polar bears or collapsing glaciers. For those living in the global north the threats presented by, say, oil extraction only occasionally--albeit spectacularly--make themselves known. This constitutes a sharp distinction from the staggering rate of nearly two oil spills a day across the Niger Delta. I begin with this blog post because the uneven geographically distributed perpetual worry of the twenty-first century holds close affective and geographic ties to Saint-Amour's electrifying study of the affective states of interwar Britain. Both the current period and the earlier one are characterized, in his account(s), by a connection between shifts in warfare and constant, overriding worry. This parallel makes Tense Future a book that straddles historical periods, commenting obliquely yet cogently on the present, while offering a nuanced, well-researched, and exciting portrait of mid-century British airpower, literature, and culture. Saint-Amour argues that shifts in warfare from ground to air rearranged methods of aligning with the world and in this way crept into every part of the British national consciousness. By focusing on WWI airpower, he is able to describe the interwar period as beset by a "conditional space of catastrophe" that forced a wide-ranging rearticulation of historical and theoretical criticism (3). In his introduction, Saint-Amour describes a future-oriented criticism that seeks to show how the anticipation of catastrophe reorients contemporary theories of potentiality. Taking Jacques Derrida's assertion that mourning and literary archives must be thought in relation to the nuclear condition, and applying this insight to the massive paradigm shift that occurs when war moves its theater from the ground to the air, Saint-Amour delinks nuclear criticism from the nuclear age. Doing so allows Saint-Amour to eloquently argue (pace Benjamin) for brushing futurity against the grain, setting in motion a vibrant tension that informs the rest of his book. For some theorists in recent years, potentiality is an expression of the potential for revolution or resistance; by contrast, Saint-Amour is concerned with the potential for stress, worry, anticipation, and dread to organize everyday life. This offers a welcome expansion of the models of futurity available to contemporary critical theory. The remainder of Tense Future is split into two parts. The first surveys interwar literature as a response to the shift in the scope of warfare occasioned by the increased speed and destructive power of aerial fighting. In this reading Virginia Woolf emerges as an author haunted by the perpetual suspense of the air raid siren, and the archivist Hilary Jenkinson is conscripted as the theorist of an "interwar cri de coeur" from the "first catastrophist archive theory" (168). …

Hyperekplexia is a rare, potentially treatable inherited disorder of glycinergic neurotransmission, which is characterized by neonatal onset exaggerated startle response to somatosensory, auditory stimuli, and episodic tonic spasm. Prolonged tonic spasms can be life-threatening and associated with apnea and bradycardia. Awareness about this condition avoids misdiagnosis such as tonic seizures and epilepsy. We describe a term newborn with episodic tonic stiffness mistaken for seizures. Classical exaggerated startle reaction, positive head retraction response to glabellar tap, and characteristic video electroencephalogram confirmed the diagnosis.

Background and Purpose Hyperekplexia (HPX), a rare neurogenetic disorder, is classically characterized by neonatal hypertonia, exaggerated startle response provoked by the sudden external stimuli and followed by a shortly general stiffness. Glycine receptor alpha 1 (GLRA1) is the major pathogenic gene of the disease. We described the clinical manifestations of genetically confirmed HPX patients and made a literature review of GLRA1-related HPX to improve the early recognition and prompt the management of the disorder. Methods Extensive clinical evaluations were analyzed in 4 Chinese HPX patients from two unrelated families. Next generation sequencing was conducted in the probands. Sanger sequence and segregation analysis were applied to confirm the findings. Results All four patients including 3 males and 1 female presented with excessive startle reflex, a cautious gait and recurrent falls. Moreover, startle episodes were dramatically improved with the treatment of clonazepam in all cases. Exome sequencing revealed 2 homozygous GLRA1 mutations in the patients. The mutation c.1286T>A p.I429N has been previously reported, while c.754delC p.L252* is novel. Conclusions HPX is a treatable disease, and clonazepam is the drug of choice. By studying and reviewing the disorder, we summarized the phenotype, expanded the genotype spectrum, and discussed the possible pathogenic mechanisms to enhance the understanding and recognition of the disease. Early awareness of the disease is crucial to the prompt and proper administration, as well as the genetic counseling.

Deficient prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle reaction after injection of the dopamine receptor agonist apomorphine has been experimentally used to model certain aspects of Tourette syndrome (TS) in rats. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the centromedian-parafascicular (CM-Pf) complex alleviates tics in patients with TS. The CM-Pf projects to striatal regions, which might mediate the effect of DBS via the cortico basal-ganglia circuitry implicated in the pathophysiology of TS. We tested the effect of CM-Pf DBS on apomorphine-induced deficient PPI and on striatal neuronal activity in rats. Electrodes were stereotaxically implanted bilaterally in the CM-Pf of adult male Sprague Dawley rats. Thereafter, rats were stimulated (150 μA and 130 Hz) or sham-stimulated (no application of current) to test the effect on apomorphine-induced deficient PPI (vehicle and 1.0 mg/kg). Additionally, the neuronal activity of the dorsomedial striatum (DMS) and the nucleus accumbens (NAC), as well as its coherence with the sensorimotor cortex (SM-Ctx) was recorded after apomorphine injection and CM-Pf DBS. CM-Pf DBS prevented the apomorphine-induced PPI-deficit. In striatal neurons apomorphine enhanced burst activity, as well as oscillatory theta band coherence with SM-Ctx electrocorticogram (SM-Ctx ECoG), which was reduced by CM-Pf DBS. Overall, the effect was stronger in the NAC than in the DMS. Modulation of neuronal activity in striatal regions may mediate the effects of CM-Pf DBS on PPI. This model may be used to test and improve novel neuro-modulation strategies.

Based on the contribution of the endocannabinoid system to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, the primary pro-psychotic ingredient of Cannabis sativa, Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ-9-THC), is used in preclinical as well as clinical research to mimic schizophrenia-like symptoms. While it is common to administer lipid-based formulations of Δ-9-THC in human studies orally, intraperitoneal injections of water-based solutions are used in animal models. Because of the poor water solubility of Δ-9-THC, solubilizers such as ethanol and/or emulsifiers are needed for these preparations. In order to test whether a lipid-based solvent would be superior over a water-based vehicle in rats, we compared the effects on locomotor activity and prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle reaction, as well as pharmacokinetic data obtained from rats' serum and brain tissue samples. Up to 50 mg/kg Δ-9-THC in the lipid-based formulation was not able to induce any behavioral alterations, while already 5 mg/kg of the water-based Δ-9-THC preparation significantly reduced locomotor activity. This also induced a small but significant PPI reduction, which was prepulse intensity dependent. Interestingly, the reflexive motor response to the startle stimulus was not affected by the water-based Δ-9-THC solution. Analysis of serum and brain Δ-9-THC levels by high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry revealed that although the final concentration reached in the brain was comparable for both pharmaceutical preparations, the water-based formulation achieved a faster kinetic. We, therefore, conclude that the slope of the Δ-9-THC concentration-time curve and the resulting cannabinoid receptor type 1 activation per time unit are responsible for the induction of behavioral alterations.

Giriş ve Amaç: Primer başağrıları zararlı veya zararsız uyaranlara karşı anormal spinal, beyin sapı ve kortikal duyarlılık ile karakterizedir. Başağrılı kişilerin duysal uyaranlara tepkilerinin normalden sapması ile ilişkili olarak ağrılı periyodda beyin sapı aşırı duyarlılığını yansıtan, beyin sapı kökenli bir refleks olan irkilme reaksiyonunda farklılıklar olup olmadığını araştırmayı planladık. Hastalar ve Yöntem: Başağrısının irkilme refleksi üzerine etkierini araştırmak amacıyla Cerrahpaşa Tıp Fakültesi Nöroloji Anabilim Dalı Başağrısı Polikliniğine başvuran ve takipli; 13 Epizodik Migren, 9 Kronik Migren, 2 Epizodik Gerilim, 9 Kronik Gerilim, 8 İlaç Aşırı Kullanım Başağrısı olan hastanın, başağrısı sırasında veya ağrı başlangıcından sonraki ilk 24 saatte İİR değerlendirildi. Bulgular 23 kişilik yaş ve cinsiyet uyumlu sağlıklı kontrol grubu ile karşılaştırıldı. Başağrısı tanısı ICHD-3 (beta versiyon) kriterlerine göre konuldu. Verilerin istatistiksel analizinde SPSS version 20.0 programı kullanıldı. Sonuçlar: Epizodik migren, Kronik migren, Kronik gerilim ve İAB olan bireylerde ağrı sırasında İİR yanıtları kontrol grubuna göre daha canlı bulunmuştur. Bu durumun OO kasından alınan yanıtlarda ; Epizodik migrenli bireylerde süre uzaması(p 0,00), alan büyüklüğü(p 0,039), Kronik migrenli bireylerde süre uzaması(p 0,002), alan büyüklüğü(p 0,011), amplitüdlerde yüksek olma eğilimi(p0,053), Kronik GTBA olan hastalarda süre uzaması(p 0,002), İAB olan hastalarda süre uzaması(p 0,002), alan değerlerinin büyük olma eğilimi ile ilişkili(p 0,093) olduğu görüldü. Hasta grupları ile kontrol grubu ORe yanıtları açısından karşılaştırıldığında hasta gruplarının tümünde ORe değerlerinin daha yüksek olduğu bulundu. (p 0,002). Yorum: İİR nin Epizodik Migren, Kronik Migren, Kronik Gerilim ve İAB'lı hastalarda birbirine benzer şekilde canlı olması beyin sapı hipersensitivitesini de içine alan ortak patofizyolojik özellikleri paylaştıklarını, düşündürebilir. Introduction and Objective:Primary headaches are characterized by abnormal spinal, brainstem and cortical sensitivity to noxious or innoxious stimuli. Because of the hypersensitivity to external stimuli in primary headaches, we investigated the auditory startle response that originate in brainstem and reflect the brainstem sensitivity in ictal phase of headache. Patients and method:Fourty one patients(13 Episodic Migraine, 9 Chronic Migraine, 2 Episodic Tension, 9 Chronic Tension type Headache, 8 MOH patients ) with headache according to ICHD-III beta classification and twenty three healty people that are compatible for the procedure as control group have been included in our study. Patients were admitted to Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty Neurology Department Headache Policlinic and were followed up. For all data ASR has been measured, in headache patients in first 24 hours after the onset of the headache. SPSS version 20.0 program was used for statistical analysis of data.Results: The ASR was high in patients with episodic migraine, chronic migraine, CTTH and MOH patients in the ictal phase of headache. Increased ASR values are associated with increased duration(p0,000) and area under the curve(0,039) in episodic migraineurs, increased duration(0,002),area under the curve(0,011) and tendency to increase in amplitudes(0,053) in chronic migraineurs, increased duration(0,002) in CTTH patients, increased duration(0,002) and tendency to increase in area under the curve(0,093) in MOH patients in OO muscle responses . ORe also was high in headache patients (p 0.002). Conclusion: The increased ASR in Episodic Migraine, Chronic Migraine, CTTH and MOH patients may suggest that they share common pathophysiological features. 62

Epilepsi ve psikozlar nöropatolojik ve psikolojik işlevlerin bozulması ile ilişkili olduğu bilinen hastalıklardır. Epilepsi ile psikozların bir arada görülmesi farklı klinik çalışmalarla raporlanmıştır. Komorbidite oranı klinik çalışmalarda %0.48 ile %35.7 arasında değişmektedir. Bu iki hastalığın ilişkisi için pek çok farklı neden önerilmiştir. Bu sebepler; genetik faktörler, nörogelişimsel bozukluklar, antiepileptik ilaçların akümülasyonu, nörobiyolojik faktörler, limbik sistemde devamlı subiktal aktivite ve epilepsinin nötotoksik etkisi olarak literatürde geçmektedir. Epilepsi ve psikozlar aynı etiyolojik proseslerin farklı sonuçları da olabilirler. Ön uyaran aracılı irkilme refleksi (ÖUAİ) test sistemi dışarıdan gelen uyarıları algılayıp yanıta dönüştüren filtre edici düzeneği yansıtmaktadır. ÖUAİ değerlerindeki bozukluklar psikozlarla ilişkilendirilmiştir. Bazal ÖUAİ değerleri ölçülen ratlar, bu değerlere göre düşük ve yüksek ÖUAİ gruplarına ayrılmıştır. Pentilentetrazol(PTZ) epilepsi modellemesinde yaygın olarak kullanılan bir kimyasal ajandır. Çalışmada 15mg/kg, 30mg/kg ve 60mg/kg (intraperitonal, ip) olmak üzere üç ayrı doz PTZ enjeksiyonu ile nöbet indüklenmiştir. Epilepsi modellemesinde kullanılan PTZ ile epilepsi indüklenip, ÖUAİ değerlerine göre gruplandırılmış ratların epileptik nöbetleri değerlendirilecektir. Çalışma sonucunda 30mg/kg PTZ enjeksiyonu ile indüklenmiş epilepsi şiddetlerinde, düşük ve yüksek ÖUAİ grupları arasında anlamlı farklılık(p=0.023) görülmüştür. Korelasyon analizi sonucunda, ÖUAİ'nin 78db ses düzeyindeki ve ortalama ÖUAİ değerleri ile epilepsi şiddeti arasında da ters yönlü ve eksponansiyel ilişki olduğu görülmüştür. ÖUAİ bir şizofreni modeli, PTZ de bir epilepsi modeli olarak kabul edilirse, bu iki hastalığın birlikte gelişme olasılığı olduğu söylenebilir. Sonuçlar, klinik çalışma sonuçlarını destekler niteliktedir.Anahtar Kelimeler: epilepsi, şizofreni, PTZ, ÖUAİ, rat Epilepsy and psyhosis are both associated with neuropathological and psychological disfunctions. Comorbidity of epilepsy and psychosis are reported with some remarkable clinical researchs that the comorbidity rates differ from 0.48% to 35.7% . Some proposed reasons for the comorbidity are; genetic factors, neurodevelopmental defects, accumulation of antiepileptic medication, neurobiological factors, continious subictal activity in limbic system and neurotoxic effect of epilepsy. Also, epilepsy and psychosis might be the different outcomes of the same etiological processes. Enlargement of ventricules, decrease in white and gray matter, cortical disgenesis, asynchronism between the transmitters glutamate and GABA and some rare genetic mutations are the common abnormalities in psychosis and epilepsy. Pre-pulse inhibition of the acoustic startle reflex (PPI) is an experimental pattern of schizophrenia and schizophrenia spectrum disorders, and the defects in PPI are known to be associated with psychosis. PPI test system reflects the filter system that senses the exterior stimulus and converts it to response. In this study after testing the basal PPI values, rats were grouped as low PPI and high PPI. Pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) is the most common used chemical agent for rat models of epilepsy. To model epilepsy, three different doses; 15mg/kg, 30mg/kg, 60mg/kg were injected intraperitonally(ip) to induce epileptic seizures. Seizures induced by PTZ were evaluated for both low and high PPI groups. As a result, the scores of the epileptic seizures induced by 30mg/kg PTZ were statistically different (p=0.023) between low PPI and high PPI groups. There is an exponential and reverse relation between PPI scores of 78 db and average PPI. Accepting PPI as a schzihoprenia model and PTZ induced seizures as an epilepsy model, these two diseases might develop together. The results of this experimental research supports current literature.Key words: epilepsy, schizophrenia, PTZ, PPI, rat 58

As a prey animal, the startle response in equids evolved as a survival mechanism. In domesticated horses the startle response has the potential to cause harm to the animal or human handlers. The cardiac response to a novel object due to startle negatively impacts the health and welfare of a diverse range of livestock. Our previous analyses in horses demonstrated significant heritability of 0.615 for change in startle heart rate with maturity. Measures of the cardiac startle response may provide quantitative phenotypes amenable to future genome-wide association studies to identify loci contributing to this important trait. To better understand the startle reaction in horses, we employed novel analytical approaches comparing the cardiac response, recorded by monitors, to behavioral changes following introduction of a novel object in young horses. Following acclimatization in a visually isolated round pen, young horses approach a feed pan where an umbrella is suddenly opened. Data from 74 UF bred horses, primarily AQHA registered, were tested as weanlings. Cardiac phenotypes were constructed using the raw inter-beat intervals recorded 2 s before presentation of the novel object to 10 s post event by a k-means clustering approach. Video recorded behaviors were quantified using a 6-category ethogram including flight distance, activity, orientation to the novel object, and latency to return to the feed pan. Following transformation, behavioral variables were combined into a single score using principal component analysis followed by factor rotation which were compared with the heart rate clusters (accelerator or decelerator categories). PCA and factor rotation yielded 2 scores correlated most strongly to the latency and flight distance variables and captured 55.6% and 32.5% of the total variation across all behavioral variables. For example, horses with a high Factor 1 score displayed a larger flight distance and take longer to return to the pan. In contrast, horses with a high factor 2 score walked and trotted more frequently while in the pen. Cardiac startle response categories (accelerator versus decelerator) were significantly correlated to the behavioral reactions captured in Factor 1 (P = 0.0003) but not for Factor 2 (P = 0.5155). Future work will utilize this novel equine cardiac startle phenotype in heritability estimates, and in a Genome Wide Association Study to identify loci contributing to the trait. Developing genetic tests to assess startle response would be useful for breeding selection or specific individual needs of horses and handlers.

Maternal immune activation (MIA) during pregnancy represents an important environmental factor in the etiology of schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Our goal was to investigate the impacts of MIA on the brain and behavior of adolescent and adult offspring, as a rat model of these neurodevelopmental disorders. We injected bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 1 mg/kg) to pregnant Wistar dams from gestational day 7, every other day, up to delivery. Behavior of the offspring was examined in a comprehensive battery of tasks at postnatal days P45 and P90. Several brain parameters were analyzed at P28. The results showed that prenatal immune activation caused social and communication impairments in the adult offspring of both sexes, males were affected already in adolescence. MIA also caused prepulse inhibition deficit in females and increased the startle reaction in males. Anxiety and hypolocomotion were apparent in LPS-affected males and females. In the 28-day-old LPS offspring, we found enlargement of the brain and decreased numbers of parvalbumin-positive interneurons in the frontal cortex in both sexes. To conclude, our data indicate that sex of the offspring plays a crucial role in the development of the MIA-induced behavioral alterations, whereas changes in the brain apparent in young animals are sex-independent.

Falls contribute to injuries and reduced level of physical activity in older adults. During falls, the abrupt sensation of moving downward triggers a startle-like reaction that may interfere with protective response movements necessary to maintain balance. Startle reaction could be dampened by sensory pre-stimulation delivered immediately before a startling stimulus. This study investigated the neuromodulatory effects of pre-stimulation on postural/startle responses to drop perturbations of the standing support surface in relation to age. Ten younger and 10 older adults stood quietly on an elevated computer-controlled moveable platform. At an unpredictable time, participants were dropped vertically to elicit a startle-like response. Reactive drop perturbation trials without a pre-stimulus (control) were alternated with trials with acoustic pre-stimulus tone (PSI). A two-way mixed design analysis of variance comparing condition (control vs. PSI) X group (younger vs. older) was performed to analyze changes in muscle activation patterns, ground reaction force, and joint angular displacements. Compared to younger adults, older adults showed lower neck muscle electromyography amplitude reduction rate and incidence of response. Peak muscle activation in neck, upper arm, and hamstring muscles were reduced during PSI trials compared to control trials in both groups (p 0.05). In addition, knee and hip joint flexion prior to ground contact was reduced in PSI trials compared to control (p 0.05). During post-landing balance recovery, increased knee and hip flexion displacement and time to peak impact force were observed in PSI trials compared to control condition (p 0.05). PSI reduced startle-induced muscle activation at proximal body segments and likely decreased joint flexion during abrupt downward vertical displacement perturbations of the body. Older adults retained the ability to modulate startle and postural responses but their neuromodulatory capacity was reduced compared with younger adults. Further research on the potential of applying PSI as a possible therapeutic tool to reduce the risk of fall-related injury is needed.

Catalepsy is a passive defensive freezing reaction in response to threatening stimuli. In hypertrophied form it constitutes a symptom of impaired brain function. In mice, the main gene determining the predisposition to catalepsy is located in the distal 111.35–116.16 Mbp fragment of chromosome 13. This fragment was transferred by backcrossing from the genome of cataleptic CBS mice to the genome of the catalepsy- resistant strain C57BL/6J and two recombinant strains were obtained – C57BL6.CBA-D13Mit76C and C57BL6.CBA-D13Mit76B – carrying this fragment from CBA or C57BL/6J, respectively. The proportion of cataleptic animals among C57BL6.CBA-D13Mit76C mice was found to be greater than that among control C57BL6.CBA-D13Mit76B mice. Testing in the startle reaction and a social interaction paradigm revealed no differences in behavior. At the same time, C57BL6.CBA-D13Mit76C mice showed lower levels of exploratory activity in the open field test than C57BL6.CBA-D13Mit76B mice. The duration of immobility in C57BL6.CBA-D13Mit76C animals in the forced swimming test was also significantly shorter than that in C57BL6.CBA-D13Mit76B mice.

WOS: 000382713000005, PubMed ID: 26997128, An important clinical feature of autism is the presence of atypical responses to sensory stimuli. In this study, we investigated if high functioning autistic patients had abnormalities in the blink reflex and the startle reaction to auditory or somatosensory stimuli. Fourteen patients aged between 7 and 16 years were included in the study. We found a longer latency of the blink reflex, an increased duration and amplitude of the auditory startle reaction and a lower presence rate of the somatosensorial startle reaction in autistic patients. To better define the sensorial characteristics of the disease could improve the therapeutic management of children with autism spectrum disorder

Psilocybin has recently attracted a great deal of attention as a clinical research and therapeutic tool. The aim of this paper is to bridge two major knowledge gaps regarding its behavioural pharmacology - sex differences and the underlying receptor mechanisms. We used psilocin (0.25, 1 and 4 mg/kg), an active metabolite of psilocybin, in two behavioural paradigms - the open-field test and prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle reaction. Sex differences were evaluated with respect to the phase of the female cycle. The contribution of serotonin receptors in the behavioural action was tested in male rats with selective serotonin receptor antagonists: 5-HT1A receptor antagonist (WAY100635 1 mg/kg), 5-HT2A receptor antagonist (MDL100907 0.5 mg/kg), 5-HT2B receptor antagonist (SB215505 1 mg/kg) and 5-HT2C receptor antagonist (SB242084 1 mg/kg). Psilocin induced dose-dependent inhibition of locomotion and suppression of normal behaviour in rats (behavioural serotonin syndrome, impaired PPI). The effects were more pronounced in male rats than in females. The inhibition of locomotion was normalized by 5-HT1A and 5-HT2B/C antagonists; however, PPI was not affected significantly by these antagonists. Our findings highlight an important issue of sex-specific reactions to psilocin and that apart from 5-HT2A-mediated effects 5-HT1A and 5-HT2C/B receptors also play an important role. These findings have implications for recent clinical trials.

One of the species of the family Opisthorchiidae, Opisthorchis felineus (O. felineus), causes severe disturbances in humans and animals, and so it is the subject of important research studies. Two weeks after infection we compared the impact of O. felineus invasion on the changes in blood cells composition, bone marrow hematopoiesis and behavioral startlereflex in inbred C57BL/6 male mice and Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus). Considerable interspecies differences were revealed for many parameters estimated. It was found that the relative weight of the main organ of the peripheral immune system – spleen, is significantly larger in mice than in hamsters. Moreover, the infection with O. felineus caused a significant enlargement of the spleen only in mice. More pronounced changes in the blood cells composition, which was accompanied by activation of hematopoietic stem cells of myeloid and erythroid set, were determined in hamsters. Blood changes in the response to infection in mice were less severe and were not accompanied by the changes in colony formation. Mouse acoustic startle reaction differed from hamster one too. The expression of the startle reaction and the value of pre-pulse inhibition were discriminated in animals of two species. Infected hamsters had no reaction of habituation to the sound stimulus. In addition, the maturation of O. felineus worms was faster in hamsters than in mice. Data obtained suggest a greater resistance of mice to O. felineus infection, but do not exclude the availability of mice as a model in the study of processes taking place in the host during the development of experimental opisthorchiasis.

An increasing number of papers have been published on the effects of ocean acidification and warming on fishes over the last several years. However, there is little information on how these environmental changes affect the swimming behavior of fish. This study examined the escape response under elevated CO2 concentration and temperature of the Japanese anchovy Engraulis japonicus. Following acclimation to four conditions (CO2 400/1000 ppm, temperature 15/19 °C) for 1 month, the fish were tested for escape response through kinematic analysis of startle reactions to a mechanical stimulus. The response was recorded with a high speed video camera of 500 frames per second. The result showed turning rate was significantly higher at 19 °C than at 15 °C. Neither CO2 nor temperature affected the kinematic parameters analyzed (the escape trajectory, swimming velocity, acceleration, escape direction, or frequency of single and double bends), with the exception of the turning rate that was significantly higher at 19 °C than at 15 °C. However, we must clarify how future oceanic environmental changes affect escape responses of schooling fish and prey-predator interactions under more rigorous experimental conditions, to elaborate our prediction capacity for the trajectory of anchovy populations and thereby assess possible implications for anchovy fisheries.

The assessment of emotions with fractal dimensions of EEG signals has been attempted before, but the quantification of the intensity and duration of sudden and short emotions remains a challenge. This paper suggests a method for this purpose, by using a new fractal dimension algorithm and by adjusting the amplitude of the EEG signal in order to obtain maximal separation of high and low fractal dimensions. The emotion was induced by embedding a scary image at 20 seconds in landscape videos of 60 seconds length. The new method did not only detect the onset of the emotion correctly, but also revealed its duration and intensity. The intensity is based on the magnitude and impulse of the fractal dimension signal. It is also shown that Higuchi’s method does not always detect emotion spikes correctly; on the contrary, the region of the expected emotional response can be represented by fractal dimensions smaller than the rest of the signal, whereas the new method directly reveals distinct spikes. The duration of these spikes was 10 - 11 seconds. The magnitude of these spikes varied across the EEG channels. The build-up and cool-down of the emotions can occur with steep and flat gradients.

Fear conditioning and extinction serve as a dominant model for the development and maintenance of pathological anxiety, particularly for phasic fear to specific stimuli or situations. The validity of this model would be supported by differences in the physiological or subjective fear response between patients with fear-related disorders and healthy controls, whereas the model's validity would be questioned by a lack of such differences. We derived pupillometry, skin conductance response and startle electromyography as well as unconditioned stimulus expectancy in a two-day fear acquisition, immediate extinction and recall task and compared an unmedicated group of patients (n = 73) with phobias or panic disorder and a group of patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD, n = 21) to a group of carefully screened healthy controls (n = 35). Bayesian statistics showed no convincing evidence for a difference in physiological and subjective responses between the groups during fear acquisition, extinction learning or recall. Only the PTSD subgroup had altered startle reactions during extinction learning. Our data do not provide evidence for general differences in associative fear or extinction learning in fear-related pathologies and thereby question the diagnostic validity of the associative fear learning model of these disorders.

Background and purpose Hyperekplexia (HPX), a rare neurogenetic disorder, is classically characterized by neonatal hypertonia, exaggerated startle response provoked by the sudden external stimuli and followed by a shortly general stiffness. Glycine receptor alpha 1 (GLRA1) is the major pathogenic gene of the disease. We described the clinical manifestations of genetically confirmed HPX patients and made a literature review of GLRA1-related HPX to improve the early recognition and prompt the management of the disorder. Methods Extensive clinical evaluations were analyzed in 4 Chinese HPX patients from two unrelated families. Next generation sequencing was conducted in the probands. Sanger sequence and segregation analysis were applied to confirm the findings. Results All four patients including 3 males and 1 female presented with excessive startle reflex, a cautious gait and recurrent falls. Moreover, startle episodes were dramatically improved with the treatment of clonazepam in all cases. Exome sequencing revealed 2 homozygous GLRA1 mutations in the patients. The mutation c.1286T>A p.I429N has been previously reported, while c.754delC p.L252* is novel. Conclusions HPX is a treatable disease, and clonazepam is the drug of choice. By studying and reviewing the disorder, we summarized the phenotype, expanded the genotype spectrum, and discussed the possible pathogenic mechanisms to enhance the understanding and recognition of the disease. Early awareness of the disease is crucial to the prompt and proper administration, as well as the genetic counseling.

To study the early stages of sensory (P50 suppression) and sensorimotor (prepulse modification of acoustic startle reaction - ASR) information processing in aggressive and non-aggressive patients with schizophrenia.Two groups (aggressive group A, 44 s. and non-aggressive group NA, 27 s.) and 48 healthy people were studied using oculography and encephalography. Symptoms of schizophrenia were assessed by PANSS.The analysis of ASR and P50 revealed the increased ASR latency, deficit of prepulse inhibition (PPI) with 60 ms leading interval, and P50 suppression in patients compared to controls. Aggressive behavior impacted on lateral features of ASR changes in the group A. The increase of ASR amplitude and the decline of prepulse facilitation were found in the group NA. The P50 analysis revealed the increased P50 amplitude and the shortened latency in response to 2nd stimulus in the pair. The increase in scores on item G14 of the PANSS (Poor impulse control) in the group A and its correlations with ASR and P50 parameters in this group suggested the important role of impulsivity in aggressive behavior in the studied sample of aggressive patients. ASR and P50 characteristics in the group NA are associated with increased sensitivity to incoming stimuli and such personality traits as increased alertness and fear, which might inhibit aggression. Thus, indicators of the early stages of information processing can be considered as potential predictors of aggressive behavior.Цель исследования. Изучение особенностей ранних этапов обработки сенсорной (торможение вызванного потенциала П50) и сенсомоторной (предстимульная модификация акустической стартл-реакции - АСР) информации у больных шизофренией с учетом характеристик их поведения. Материал и методы. Обследовали две группы больных: агрессивных (группа А, 44 человека) и неагрессивных (группа НА, 27 человек), а также 48 здоровых c использованием методов окулографии и электроэнцефалографии. Психическое состояние больных оценивали по шкале PANSS. Результаты и заключение. Выявлены особенности, свойственные больным шизофренией, в частности увеличение латентного периода АСР, дефицит предстимульного торможения (ПСТ) (при интервале опережения 60 мс) и торможения П50 относительно нормы. Фактор агрессивности оказывал влияние на латеральные особенности выявленных отклонений показателей АСР (только в группе А). В группе НА выявлено увеличение базовой амплитуды АСР и снижение предстимульной. Анализ П50 показал в группе НА существенное увеличение амплитуды П50 и снижение латентности на 2-й стимул. Значимое увеличение в группе А шкалы О14 (ослабление контроля импульсивности) и характер ее корреляций с показателями АСР и П50 позволили предположить, что важным фактором агрессивного поведения в исследованной выборке больных была повышенная импульсивность. Особенности АСР и П50, характерные для группы НА, свидетельствуют об увеличении чувствительности к внешним стимулам, которое может ассоциироваться с личностными особенностями, тормозящими агрессию. Сделан вывод, что показатели ранних этапов обработки информации могут рассматриваться как потенциальные предикторы агрессивного поведения у больных шизофренией.

Mephedrone (MEPH) is a synthetic cathinone derivative with effects that mimic MDMA and/or cocaine. Our study in male Wistar rats provides detailed investigations of MEPH’s and its primary metabolite nor-mephedrone’s (nor-MEPH) pharmacokinetics and bio-distribution to four different substrates (serum, brain, lungs and liver), as well as comparative analysis of their effects on locomotion (open field test, OFT) and sensorimotor gating (prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle reaction, PPI ASR). Further, in order to mimic the crowded condition where MEPH is typically taken (e.g., clubs), the acute effect of MEPH on thermoregulation in singly- and group-housed rats was evaluated. Pharmacokinetics of MEPH and nor-MEPH after MEPH (5 mg/kg, sc.) were analyzed over eight hours using liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry. MEPH (2.5, 5 or 20 mg/kg, sc.) and nor-MEPH (5 mg/kg, sc.) were administered five or 40 minutes before the behavioral testing in the OFT and PPI ASR; locomotion and its spatial distribution, ASR, habituation and PPI itself were quantified. The effect of MEPH on rectal temperature was measured after 5 and 20 mg/kg, sc. Both MEPH and nor-MEPH were detected in all substrates, with the highest levels detected in lungs. Mean brain: serum ratios were 1: 1.19 (MEPH) and 1: 1.91 (nor-MEPH), maximum concentrations were observed at 30 min; at two and four hours after administration, nor-MEPH concentrations were higher compared to the parent drug. Whilst neither of the drugs disrupted PPI, both increased locomotion and affected its spatial distribution. The effects of MEPH were dose-dependent, rapid and short-lasting, and the intensity of locomotor stimulant effects was comparable between MEPH and nor-MEPH. Despite the disappearance of behavioral effects within 40 min after administration, MEPH induced rectal temperature elevations that persisted for three hours even in singly-housed rats. To conclude, we observed a robust, short-lasting and most likely synergistic stimulatory effect of both drugs which corresponded to brain pharmacokinetics. The dissociation between the duration of behavioral and hyperthermic effects is indicative of the possible contribution of nor-MEPH or other biologically active metabolites. This temporal dissociation may be related with the risk of prolonged somatic toxicity when stimulatory effects are no longer present.

Whereas schizophrenia affects both human sexes, there are known sex-dependent disparities. We developed a chronic animal model that shows some schizophrenia-related deficits in rats by applying selective breeding after subchronic ketamine administration connected with postweaning social isolation (complex treatment). Our aim was to determine the sex-specific effects of these interventions on several processes. Sensory gating to acoustic stimulation, pain sensitivity, motor behavior, spatial learning and memory deficits on the hole-board test were assessed in the 17th generation of selectively bred Wistar rats compared to their naive counterparts with or without complex treatment. We found differences between the sexes: selectively bred males with complex treatment showed the lowest pain sensitivity; however, the results of the prepulse inhibition test indicated that female rats showed enhanced impairment of sensory gating and increased acoustic startle reaction. The cognitive performance, working and reference memory ratios were significantly decreased by selective breeding and showed sex-specific alterations, with the smallest value in male rats of the new substrain. Based on these results, the animals of the new substrain could be classified into the high-risk for schizophreniform phenotype with the highest sensitivity of males with complex treatment. Decreased cognitive performance highlighted spatial learning deficits in the selectively bred and treated rats that escalate the validity of our new and complex rat model of schizophrenia. The results indicate the same sex selectivity as observed in humans, with increased incidence of risk ratios for men to develop schizophrenia relative to women.

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether or not startle reactions contribute to the whole body postural responses following sudden freefall in standing humans. Nine healthy participants stood atop a moveable platform and received externally-triggered (EXT) and selftriggered (SLF) drop perturbations of the support surface. Electromyographic (EMG) activity was recorded bilaterally over the sternocleidomastoid (SCM), deltoid (DLT), biceps brachii (BIC), medial gastrocnemius (GAS), and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles. Whole-body kinematics were also recorded with motion analysis. Rapid phasic activation of SCM during the first trial response (FTR) was seen for all participants for EXT and for 56% of subjects for SLF. Reductions in EMG amplitude between the EXT FTR and later trial responses for SCM, DLT, and BIC and reduced arm movement acceleration indicative of habituation occurred and exceeded adaptive reductions for SLF. These findings suggested that a startle reflex contributes to the exaggerated postural FTR observed during externally-triggered whole-body free falls.

In the late 19th century, jumping (French Canadians in Maine, USA), miryachit (Siberia), and latah (Southeast Asia) were among a group of similar disorders described around the world, each of which manifests as an exaggerated startle response with additional late-response features that were felt by some to overlap with hysteria or tics. The later features following the exaggerated startle reaction variably include mimesis (e.g., echopraxia, echolalia) and automatic obedience. These reaction patterns tended to persist indefinitely in affected individuals. Because of their dramatic stimulus-driven behaviors, affected individuals were prone to be teased and tormented by being repeatedly and intentionally startled. Despite clinical overlap between jumping and Tourette syndrome, these entities are now recognized as distinct: in jumping, the key feature is an abnormal startle response, the abnormal reaction is always provoked, and tics are absent, whereas in Tourette syndrome, the key feature is spontaneous motor and vocal tics, although patients with Tourette syndrome may occasionally also have an exaggerated startle response. These disorders have been conceptualized from anthropological, psychodynamic, and neurobiologic perspectives, with no complete resolution to date. Attempts at treatment have been generally unsuccessful, including attempts with bromization and hypnosis, although anecdotal reports of successful deconditioning have been published. In population groups affected, these disorders are usually considered as behavioral peculiarities and not as diseases per se, and there is no apparent tendency to develop disabling mental illness or neurodegenerative disorders. The genesis of these disorders, their cultural and social components, and their interactions with the presumed underlying physiological substrate need further study. Careful descriptive and analytic epidemiological studies are also lacking for all of these disorders.