PSYCHOPHYSICS OF THE STARTLE REACTION

该实验室和其他实验室先前的研究表明，某些 引发的反射可以被修改（增强或抑制），如果 反射诱发事件伴随着轻微的外感受刺激 适当的提前间隔。 例如，声音微弱或暗淡 闪光可以抑制大鼠对响亮声音的惊吓反应 它可以抑制因轻击眼睛而引起的反射性眨眼 人类的额头。 目前的调查顺序旨在 记录人类反射修饰的最早表现 婴儿并将其与成人进行比较。 除了检查之外 反射修正对健康日龄足月婴儿的影响 将研究这些对有缺陷风险的婴儿的影响 感觉神经处理。 受试者人群将包括以下婴儿 早产或低出生体重，或患有围产期窒息，如 以及接受氨基糖甙类药物治疗的婴儿以及有以下风险的婴儿 小岛屿发展中国家。

Previous research in this and in other laboratories indicates that certain elicited reflexes can be modified (either augmented or inhibited) if the reflex eliciting event is accompanied by a mild exteroceptive stimulus at an appropriate lead interval. For example, either a weak tone or a dim flash of light can inhibit the startle reaction to a loud sound in th rat and it can inhibit the reflexive eyeblink that is elicited by a tap to the forehead in humans. The present sequence of investigations is designed to document the earliest manifestations of reflex modification in human infants and to compare them to those of adults. In addition to examining reflex modification effects in healthy day old full-term infants, the work will study these effects in infants who are at risk for deficits in sensorineural processing. Subject populations will include infants who are premature or of low birth weight, or suffering from perinatal aphyxia, as well as infants exposed to aminoglycoside therapy and those at risk for SIDS.