Startle modulation in children at risk for anxiety disorders and/or alcoholism.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the startle reflex as a possible vulnerability marker among offspring of parents with anxiety disorders and/or alcoholism.

METHOD: The subjects were 66 male and female offspring (aged 10 to 17 years) of proband who participated in a family study of comorbidity of alcoholism and anxiety disorders. Testing consisted of examining the startle reflex and its modulation by prepulse stimuli (prepulse facilitation and prepulse inhibition).

RESULTS

Different components of the startle discriminated among children of parents with anxiety disorders, children of alcoholics, and children of normal controls. Specifically startle magnitude was elevated in children with a parental history of an anxiety disorder, whereas startle habituation and prepulse inhibition were impaired in children with a parental history of alcoholism.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that individual differences in the startle reflex may serve as a vulnerability marker for the development of anxiety disorders and alcohol problems.