The acoustic startle response is an unconditional reflex involving rapid facial and skeletal muscle movements triggered by sudden, startling stimuli like sound or light. Studying the acoustic startle ...

The acoustic startle response is an unconditional reflex manifested as a rapid contraction of facial and skeletal muscles in response to a sudden and intense startling stimulus. Translational research ...

The startle reflex is a rapid, involuntary response to sudden acoustic stimuli, and its study has provided valuable insights into the neural mechanisms underlying motor preparation. Research in this ...

I’ve been reading a lot recently about the startle reflex as it applies to folks who suffer with panic disorder and agoraphobia. As you probably suspected, people diagnosed with this wretched curse ...

University of Toronto researchers have discovered that the main purpose of the startle reflex -- the mechanism that makes people twitch at sudden loud noises -- is to protect the body against blows.

We all jump at an unexpected noise or touch, but in some people, this startle response is exaggerated, and can cause falls and even death. Now, researchers in the United Kingdom have found new genes ...

A study in fruit flies has identified serotonin as a chemical that triggers the body's startle response, the automatic deer-in-the-headlights reflex that freezes the body momentarily in response to a ...

To understand the expressive range of the human face, nothing beats watching a colleague scream his head off in slow motion. When my lab began to study protective reflexes in the early 2000s, the ...

Variations in a gene that regulates the brain chemical dopamine may help explain why some people are more prone to anxiety than others, a new study suggests. The gene in question, known as COMT, ...

When startled, do all fish respond the same way? A few fish, like Mexican cavefish, have evolved in unique environments without any predators. To see how this lack of predation impacts escape ...

I’ve been reading a lot recently about the startle reflex as it applies to folks who suffer with panic disorder and agoraphobia. As you probably suspected, people diagnosed with this wretched curse ...