Key result
Vietnam veterans with PTSD exhibited normal acoustic startle amplitude but a significant reduction in prepulse inhibition relative to civilian subjects.
Why the study?
Does PTSD affect baseline startle amplitude and prepulse inhibition in Vietnam veterans compared to civilians and combat veterans?
Case-Control (n=48)
Does PTSD affect baseline startle amplitude and prepulse inhibition in Vietnam veterans compared to civilians and combat veterans?
Vietnam veterans with PTSD show normal baseline acoustic startle amplitude but abnormal startle modulation (reduced prepulse inhibition) compared to civilians.
Normal startle amplitude cautions against its use as a PTSD marker; reduced PPI leaves open sensorimotor gating deficits for further study.
Although an exaggerated startle response is a symptom of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), empirical support for elevated baseline startle in PTSD has been weak. The present study investigated the eyeblink component of the acoustic startle reflex and prepulse inhibition (PPI) in 21 unmedicated Vietnam veterans with PTSD and in 17 civilian and 10 combat veteran comparison subjects. Patients with PTSD exhibited normal acoustic startle amplitude, but showed a significant reduction in PPI relative to the civilian subjects. There was only a trend toward a reduction in PPI in the PTSD group compared with the combat control group. The study does not support the hypothesis of exaggerated baseline startle in Vietnam veterans with PTSD but suggests abnormal startle modulation by a prepulse (i.e., PPI). Discrepancies between studies concerning the amplitude of startle in PTSD are discussed.
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Grillon et al. (1996) conducted a case-control in Posttraumatic stress disorder (n=48). Posttraumatic stress disorder vs. Civilian and combat veteran controls was evaluated on Acoustic startle amplitude and prepulse inhibition (PPI). Vietnam veterans with PTSD exhibited normal acoustic startle amplitude but a significant reduction in prepulse inhibition relative to civilian subjects.
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