Key result
Startle elicited autonomic responses that were different from cold pressor, exercise, and norepinephrine, but similar to epinephrine in direction of responses.
Why the study?
How do autonomic responses in the startle pattern compare to those from cold pressor stimulation, exercise, and infused norepinephrine and epinephrine?
Cross-Sectional (n=42)
How do autonomic responses in the startle pattern compare to those from cold pressor stimulation, exercise, and infused norepinephrine and epinephrine?
The startle response produces a specific autonomic pattern similar to epinephrine infusion, challenging the concept of an undifferentiated massive sympathetic discharge.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Supports epinephrine-like autonomic specificity in startle; hypothesis-generating for stress models and requires replication before clinical translation.
An analysis of the autonomic responses in the startle pattern was made by comparison to patterns reported in other studies on cold pressor stimulation, exercise, and infused norepinephrine and epinephrine. Forty-two male undergraduates served as subjects in the present study. The following variables were recorded: systolic and diastolic blood pressures; finger, face and axillary temperatures; palmar and volar forearm skin conductances; heart and respiration rates; finger pulse volume; and stomach motility. Startle was found different from cold pressor, exercise, and norepinephrine, but similar to epinephrine in direction of responses. It was concluded that Canon's concept of “emergency” reactions involving undifferentiated massive discharge of the sympathetic nervous system should be regarded only as a first approximation. The startle pattern suggests a somewhat general activation of the sympathetic nervous system, but with possible parasympatheticlike activity reflected by stomach contraction period.
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Richard A. Sternbach (1960) reported a cross-sectional. Startle vs. Cold pressor stimulation, exercise, infused norepinephrine and epinephrine (from other studies) was evaluated on Autonomic responses (blood pressures, temperatures, skin conductances, heart and respiration rates, finger pulse volume, stomach motility). Startle elicited autonomic responses that were different from cold pressor, exercise, and norepinephrine, but similar to epinephrine in direction of responses.
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