Walker D L, Davis M
Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06508, USA.
Biol Psychiatry. 1997 Sep 15;42(6):461-71. doi: 10.1016/S0006-3223(96)00441-6.
Previous studies have shown that the amplitude of the acoustic startle reflex is increased by the presentation of aversive stimuli. In the present study, the amplitude of acoustic startle in rats was increased by exposure to high illumination levels. The effect was directly related to the intensity (0, 8, 70, and 700 footlamberts) of illumination (experiment I); was blocked by the anxiolytic compound buspirone (experiment II); and showed little or no habituation with repeated testing (experiment III). These results suggest that the elevation of startle amplitude by light may reflect an unconditioned anxiogenic effect of high illumination levels. The possible utility of this phenomenon as an animal model of anxiety is discussed.
先前的研究表明，厌恶刺激的呈现会增加听觉惊跳反射的幅度。在本研究中，大鼠暴露于高光照水平下时，听觉惊跳的幅度增加。该效应与光照强度（0、8、70和700英尺朗伯）直接相关（实验I）；被抗焦虑化合物丁螺环酮阻断（实验II）；并且在重复测试中几乎没有出现习惯化现象（实验III）。这些结果表明，光照引起的惊跳幅度升高可能反映了高光照水平的无条件致焦虑效应。本文讨论了这一现象作为焦虑动物模型的潜在用途。
