Startle responses to bursts of white noise were recorded as blink
reflexes 17-21 months after a traumatic event in six children with
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and in six normal control children. A
seventh child with PTSD was studied on four occasions during the 2 years
following a stressful event. The startle responses were modulated by
nonstartling acoustic prestimulation in order to study the inhibitory and
facilitatory modulation of startle reaction by brainstem mechanisms. The
children with PTSD experienced a significant loss of the normal inhibitory
modulation of startle response, suggesting that the traumatic experience
had induced a long-lasting brainstem dysfunction.Abstract Teaser