Modality-specific attention under imminent but not remote threat of shock: Evidence from differential prepulse inhibition of startle
Modality-specific attention under imminent but not remote threat of shock: Evidence from differential prepulse inhibition of startle
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DOI：
10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02131.x
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发表时间：
2008-06-01
影响因子：
8.2
通讯作者：
Grillon, Christian
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Cornwell, Brian R.;Echiverri, Aileen M.;Grillon, Christian
动物防御行为理论假设，迫在眉睫的、可预测的威胁会引起对威胁来源的高度关注，而遥远的、不可预测的威胁会引起对整体环境的分散关注。我们使用电击威胁和脉冲前抑制惊吓反射的测量相结合的方法，在人类身上测试这些说法。27名参与者经历了威胁和安全的时期。威胁和安全期有短有长，短的威胁期传递的是相对可预测的、迫在眉睫的冲击，长的威胁期传递的是不可预测的冲击。单独呈现相同数量的声学探头，在触觉预脉冲之前，或在听觉预脉冲之前，都会引发惊吓反射。我们只在短的威胁期间观察到相对于听觉前脉冲抑制的增强的触觉。这一发现支持这样的观点，即迫在眉睫的威胁，而不是远程威胁，引起了人们对相关通道的关注，潜在地反映了将有害刺激的影响降至最低的准备活动。
Theories of animal defensive behavior postulate that imminent, predictable threat elicits highly focused attention toward the threat source, whereas remote, unpredictable threat elicits distributed attention to the overall environment. We used threat of shock combined with measurement of prepulse inhibition of the startle reflex to test these claims in humans. Twenty-seven participants experienced periods of threat and safety. Threat and safe periods were short or long, with the short threat periods conveying relatively predictable, imminent shocks and the long threat periods conveying unpredictable shocks. Startle reflexes were elicited with equal numbers of acoustic probes presented alone, preceded by a tactile prepulse, or preceded by an auditory prepulse. We observed enhanced tactile relative to auditory prepulse inhibition during short threat periods only. This finding supports the notion that imminent threat, but not remote threat, elicits attention focused toward the relevant modality, potentially reflecting preparatory activity to minimize the impact of the noxious stimulus.