Grillon C, Dierker L, Merikangas K R
Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, USA.
Biol Psychiatry. 1998 Nov 15;44(10):990-7. doi: 10.1016/s0006-3223(98)00188-7.
The startle reflex and its potentiation by aversive states was used as a possible vulnerability marker for anxiety disorders in adolescent offspring of parents with this condition.
The participants were 39 low-risk adolescents (16 male/23 female) with a parental history of no psychiatric disorder and 35 high-risk adolescents (18 male/17 female) with a parental history of anxiety disorders. The magnitude of startle was examined at baseline and during anticipation of an aversive stimulus (fear-potentiated startle).
Startle was found to discriminate between children at high and low risk for anxiety disorders; however, different abnormalities for high-risk male and female subjects were observed. Startle levels, overall, were elevated among high-risk female subjects, whereas high-risk male subjects exhibited greater magnitude of startle potentiation during aversive anticipation.
Startle reactivity may serve as a vulnerability marker for the development of anxiety disorders. With its basic grounding in animal and human behavioral research, startle may enhance our understanding of the underlying neurobiological bases of human anxiety states.
惊吓反射及其在厌恶状态下的增强被用作患有焦虑症的父母的青少年后代中焦虑症可能的易感性标志物。
参与者包括39名低风险青少年（16名男性/23名女性），其父母无精神疾病史，以及35名高风险青少年（18名男性/17名女性），其父母有焦虑症病史。在基线期和预期厌恶刺激期间（恐惧增强惊吓）检查惊吓的程度。
发现惊吓可区分焦虑症高风险和低风险儿童；然而，观察到高风险男性和女性受试者存在不同的异常情况。总体而言，高风险女性受试者的惊吓水平升高，而高风险男性受试者在厌恶预期期间表现出更大程度的惊吓增强。
惊吓反应性可能是焦虑症发展的易感性标志物。基于动物和人类行为研究的基础，惊吓可能会增进我们对人类焦虑状态潜在神经生物学基础的理解。
