Citation

Liska GM, Lee JY, Xu K, Sanberg PR, Borlongan CV. Neuroreport 2018; 29(11): 939-944.

Affiliation

Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair, Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair, USF Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/WNR.0000000000001056

PMID

29771818

Abstract

An exaggerated acoustic startle reflex (ASR) is a clinical indicator of anxiety disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Given the prevalence of PTSD following traumatic brain injury (TBI), we studied the effects of TBI on ASR. Adult Sprague Dawley rats exposed to moderate controlled cortical impact injury model of TBI displayed suppression of ASR intensity and sensitivity. As patients with PTSD have been shown to display hyperactive startle responses, the present discrepant observation of TBI-induced suppression of ASR has clinical implications, in that the reduced, instead of elevated, startle response in patients with comorbid TBI/PTSD could be owing to a masking effect of TBI.

Language: en