Efficacy of stimulus intensity increases and decreases as inhibitors of the acoustic startle response

The human startle eyeblink response can be inhibited by a change in the stimulus environment briefly before the startling stimulus; both stimulus presentation (prepulse) and cessation of background sound (gap) can result in startle inhibition. More intense prepulses often result in greater inhibition, and this study (N = 53 college students) examined whether graded decreases in sound energy relative to a steady background noise (a "partial gap") would follow this same pattern of inhibition. Embedded in a 65 dB steady background noise were 100 dB white noise startle stimuli preceded at 120 ms on some trials by stimulus intensity increases or decreases of 5, 10, or 15 dB relative to background. Results showed that startle inhibition was graded by amount of change relative to background, such that greater increases or decreases resulted in greater inhibition. Also, increases were more effective startle inhibitors than decreases at equivalent levels of change from background. These results demonstrate that the neural centers responsible for startle inhibition are responsive to both increases and decreases in stimulus intensity, and are sensitive to amount of change, not simply whether a change occurs. These findings may have implications for the development of a screening method for a hearing disorder called tinnitus.