Key result
Startle responses elicited during cardiac systole were smaller than during diastole in healthy volunteers and diabetic patients with normal baroreflex sensitivity, but not with diminished BRS.
Why the study?
Does the cardiac cycle phase (systole vs. diastole) modulate startle response magnitude in healthy volunteers and diabetic patients?
Observational (n=69)
Does the cardiac cycle phase (systole vs. diastole) modulate startle response magnitude in healthy volunteers and diabetic patients?
Cardiac modulation of startle eye blink is associated with intact baro-afferent feedback, providing a feasible pre-attentive method to study visceral afferent processing from the cardiovascular system.
Startle modulation by cardiac phase may index baroreflex integrity; leaves open its utility as a pre-attentive visceral afferent probe.
As an alternative to interoceptive paradigms that depend on the participants' active cooperation, two studies are presented to show that startle methodology may be employed to study visceral afferent processing. The first study of 38 volunteers showed that startle responses were smaller when elicited during cardiac systole as compared to diastole. In the second study, 31 diabetic patients were divided into two groups, having normal or diminished (<6 ms/mmHg) baroreflex sensitivity (BRS). Patients with normal BRS showed the same results found in healthy volunteers. Diabetic patients with diminished BRS did not show this pattern. Because diminished BRS is an indicator of impaired baro-afferent signal transmission, it is concluded that cardiac modulation of startle is associated with intact baro-afferent feedback. Thus, pre-attentive startle methodology is feasible to study visceral afferent processing originating from the cardiovascular system.
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Schulz et al. (2009) conducted an observational in Healthy volunteers and diabetic patients (n=69). Startle elicited during cardiac systole vs. Startle elicited during cardiac diastole was evaluated on Startle response magnitude. Startle responses elicited during cardiac systole were smaller than during diastole in healthy volunteers and diabetic patients with normal baroreflex sensitivity, but not with diminished BRS.
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