STARTLE EYEBLINK ELICITATION IN ATTENTION-DEFICIT DISORDERED CHILDRENUSING LOW-INTENSITY ACOUSTIC STIMULI

The acoustic startle eyeblink response was measured in 11 pediatric ps ychiatric inpatients, 7 diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and 4 diagnosed with other conditions (non-ADHD). Sta rtle stimuli were 85 or 95 dB SPL, 50-msec. noise pulses. Startle eyeb link responses were reliably measured for all children. Startle respon se latency was faster for ADHD children than for clinical control subj ects in all stimulus conditions. These data show that the acoustic sta rtle eyeblink response can be reliably elicited in ADHD children at lo wer intensities (83-95 dB) than those used in previous published resea rch (104 dB). This may increase the use of the startle paradigm, since less intense stimuli may be less disturbing to the children, increasi ng compliance and allowing longer testing sessions.