A car backfires, and your shoulders jump. A shadow moves, and your eyes fly open before your brain catches up. That dramatic ...

Medically reviewed by Jonathan B. Jassey, DO Key Takeaways The Moro reflex is a startle response in babies that makes their arms extend and retract. Newborns grow out of the Moro reflex within the ...

The startle reflex is a rapid, involuntary response to sudden acoustic stimuli, and its study has provided valuable insights into the neural mechanisms underlying motor preparation. Research in this ...

The acoustic startle response is an unconditional reflex manifested as a rapid contraction of facial and skeletal muscles in response to a sudden and intense startling stimulus. Translational research ...

The SR-LAB startle response system is the world's most popular startle reflex research tool for assessing fear-potentiated startle (FPS), pre-pulse inhibition (PPI), and startle habituation. SR-LAB ...

We all jump at an unexpected noise or touch, but in some people, this startle response is exaggerated, and can cause falls and even death. Now, researchers in the United Kingdom have found new genes ...

Variations in a gene that regulates the brain chemical dopamine may help explain why some people are more prone to anxiety than others, a new study suggests. The gene in question, known as COMT, ...

I’ve been reading a lot recently about the startle reflex as it applies to folks who suffer with panic disorder and agoraphobia. As you probably suspected, people diagnosed with this wretched curse ...

University of Toronto researchers have discovered that the main purpose of the startle reflex -- the mechanism that makes people twitch at sudden loud noises -- is to protect the body against blows.

I’ve been reading a lot recently about the startle reflex as it applies to folks who suffer with panic disorder and agoraphobia. As you probably suspected, people diagnosed with this wretched curse ...