BACKGROUND: Animal and human studies consistently have demonstrated that the startle reflex elicited by intense auditory stimulation is enhanced by the previous presentation of fear-evoking stimuli. There is also growing and varied evidence of the nonconscious processing of fear stimuli in human beings eliciting brain and autonomic fear responses. METHODS: We report two studies using the startle probe paradigm and the backward-masking procedure to examine the modulation of the eye-blink component of the startle reflex by consciously and nonconsciously presented emotional pictures. RESULTS: Conscious and nonconscious presentation of fearful pictures amplified the magnitude of the startle reflex in both studies. The opposite tendency was observed for conscious and nonconscious presentation of sexually attractive pictures in the second study. CONCLUSIONS: These findings support the notion that negative (and possibly positive) biologically relevant stimuli can be nonconsciously processed, presumably via amygdala activation, and can affect behavioral responding.
BACKGROUND: Animal and human studies consistently have demonstrated that the startle reflex elicited by intense auditory stimulation is enhanced by the previous presentation of fear-evoking stimuli. There is also growing and varied evidence of the nonconscious processing of fear stimuli in human beings eliciting brain and autonomic fear responses. METHODS: We report two studies using the startle probe paradigm and the backward-masking procedure to examine the modulation of the eye-blink component of the startle reflex by consciously and nonconsciously presented emotional pictures. RESULTS: Conscious and nonconscious presentation of fearful pictures amplified the magnitude of the startle reflex in both studies. The opposite tendency was observed for conscious and nonconscious presentation of sexually attractive pictures in the second study. CONCLUSIONS: These findings support the notion that negative (and possibly positive) biologically relevant stimuli can be nonconsciously processed, presumably via amygdala activation, and can affect behavioral responding.
Authors: L I Aftanas; P V Sidorova; S V Pavlov; V P Makhnev; V V Korenek; N V Reva; T G Amstislavskaya Journal: Neurosci Behav Physiol Date: 2008-09-18
Authors: María B Sánchez; Pedro Guerra; Miguel A Muñoz; José Luís Mata; Margaret M Bradley; Peter J Lang; Jaime Vila Journal: Psychophysiology Date: 2009-07-01 Impact factor: 4.016
Authors: Blanca Ortega-Roldán; Sonia Rodríguez-Ruiz; Pandelis Perakakis; M Carmen Fernández-Santaella; Jaime Vila Journal: PLoS One Date: 2014-07-18 Impact factor: 3.240