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Acoustic startle reflex in schizophrenia patients and their first-degree relatives: Evidence of normal emotional modulation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 November 2002

CLAYTON E. CURTIS ,
BOYD LEBOW ,
DAVID S. LAKE ,
JOANNA KATSANIS  and
WILLIAM G. IACONO
CLAYTON E. CURTIS
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA
BOYD LEBOW
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA
DAVID S. LAKE
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA
JOANNA KATSANIS
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA
WILLIAM G. IACONO
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA
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Abstract

We investigated emotional disturbances in 36 schizophrenia patients, 48 of their first-degree relatives, and 56 controls to determine if abnormal affective startle modulation could be associated with genetic risk for schizophrenia. Both patients and relatives had a pattern of startle modulation indistinguishable from controls, with potentiated startle amplitude while viewing negative valence slides and attenuation while viewing positive slides. Patients with flat affect did not differ from those without in startle modulation or slide ratings. The patients and their relatives had lower pleasantness ratings of positive slides and the patients had higher pleasantness ratings of the negative slides than controls. The startle paradigm may not be useful for identifying individuals with a genetic liability for schizophrenia. The results suggest that low-level defensive and appetitive behaviors are unaffected in schizophrenia.

Keywords

SchizophreniaGenetic vulnerabilityFlat affectEmotionStartle reflexNegative symptoms
Type
Research Article
Information
Psychophysiology , Volume 36 , Issue 4 , July 1999 , pp. 469 - 475
Copyright
© 1999 Society for Psychophysiological Research

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