Startle response

A variety of responses may occur depending on the affected individual's emotional state,[2] body posture,[3] preparation for execution of a motor task,[4] or other activities.

A study done to disrupt this portion of the pathway by the injection of PnC inhibitory chemicals has shown a dramatic decrease in the amount of startle by about 80 to 90 percent.

This type of cascading response correlates to how the synapses travel from the brain and down the spinal cord to activate each motor neuron.

The amygdala, hippocampus, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and anterior cingulate cortex are all thought to play a role in modulating the reflex.

[11][12] The anterior cingulate cortex in the brain is largely thought to be the main area associated with emotional response and awareness, which can contribute to the way an individual reacts to startle-inducing stimuli.

There is no involvement of the superior/rostral or inferior/caudal colliculus in the reaction that "twitches" the hindlimbs, but these may be important for adjustment of pinnae and gaze towards the direction of the sound, or for the associated blink.

[15] A study undertaken in 2005 by researchers at the Department of Aviation and Logistics, University of Southern Queensland, looked at the performance of aircraft pilots following unexpected critical events.

The authors argued that fear resulting from threat, especially if life-threatening,[16][17] prompted startle effects which had a serious negative impact on pilots' performances.

The study considered training strategies to address this, including exposing pilots to unexpected critical events more often, enabling them to improve their responses.