I’ve been reading a lot recently about the startle reflex as it applies to folks who suffer with panic disorder and agoraphobia. As you probably suspected, people diagnosed with this wretched curse ...

Variations in a gene that regulates the brain chemical dopamine may help explain why some people are more prone to anxiety than others, a new study suggests. The gene in question, known as COMT, ...

Sensorimotor gating of the startle reflex can be assessed via measures of prepulse inhibition (PPI), which is the reduction in startle magnitude when the startling stimulus is preceded immediately by ...

We all jump at an unexpected noise or touch, but in some people, this startle response is exaggerated, and can cause falls and even death. Now, researchers in the United Kingdom have found new genes ...

The startle reflex is a rapid, involuntary response to sudden acoustic stimuli, and its study has provided valuable insights into the neural mechanisms underlying motor preparation. Research in this ...

The acoustic startle response is an unconditional reflex manifested as a rapid contraction of facial and skeletal muscles in response to a sudden and intense startling stimulus. Translational research ...

University of Toronto researchers have discovered that the main purpose of the startle reflex -- the mechanism that makes people twitch at sudden loud noises -- is to protect the body against blows.

Your baby's newborn reflexes – called developmental reflexes or primitive reflexes – are survival instincts triggered by ...