Deficits of perceived spatial separation-induced prepulse inhibition in patients with bipolar disorder compared to healthy controls

Sensory gating (SG) is a normal brain function used to filter out irrelevant stimuli. Defects to SG can lead to irrelevant stimuli flooding (Oranje et al., 1999; Ringel et al., 2004). The prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle reflex can be used as a neurobiological measure for exploring SG and early information processing (Cadenhead et al., 1999). In humans, the startle reflex is the rapid twitch of facial muscles induced by an intense, unexpected stimulus (eg, acoustic stimulus) (Koch, 1999), that can be measured by eye blinks using electromyography (EMG) to detect orbicularis oculi muscles contractions.

Source: Journal of Affective Disorders - July 18, 2018 Category: Neurology Authors: Qijing Bo, Zhen Mao, Qing Tian, Yujie Wen, Fang Dong, Xianbin Li, Zhimin Wang, Xin Ma, Chuanyue Wang Tags: Research paper Source Type: research