THE ANXIOLYTIC EFFECT ON THE FEAR-POTENTIATED STARTLE IS NOT DUE TO ANONSPECIFIC DISRUPTION

In the present study, the effects of alprazolam, chlordiazepoxide, eth anol and haloperidol in the strychnine-potentiated startle response pa radigm were investigated. Because strychnine increases control startle levels without fear-conditioning, no central state of fear exists. Wh en anxiolytic drugs reduce the fear-induced potentiation of the startl e response without reducing the strychnine-induced startle potentiatio n, their attenuating effect on startle potentiation in the fear-potent iated startle response paradigm can more likely be attributed to their anxiolytic properties. The selected drugs, which effectively reduced the fear-induced startle potentiation in an earlier study, indeed did not selectively affect the strychnine-induced startle potentiation, su pporting the notion that the dose-dependent reduction of startle poten tiation due to anxiolytic drugs in the fear-potentiated startle respon se paradigm does not reflect a ''non-specific'' disruption of startle behavior.