# NORMAL DEVELOPMENT OF STARTLE RESPONSES

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · 1994 · $289,421

## Abstract

This project is a maturational study of startle modulation during
childhood and an application of the normative data to the syndrome of
attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).  The major aim of this
proposal is to continue our studies of startle modulation in ADHD along
lines suggested by current literature and our own data, namely that
pathophysiology in ADHD is likely to be located in structures rostral to
brainstem regions.  To explore this hypothesis, startle will be used as
a probe to evaluate the sustained attention of ADHD during a continuous
performance task (CPT).  ADHD children have shown attentional deficits
on the CPT, and startle attenuation can reflect the degree of
attentional engagement and downstream cortical control of brainstem
sensory processing mechanism.  Additionally this proposal continues our
normative maturational studies, extending them to CPT attenuation of
startle, by studying this type of startle modulation in preschool
children.  Since 30 percent of our ADHD subjects had primary nocturnal
enuresis, and it was those ADHD boys with enuresis who showed
significantly reduced inhibitory prestimulation modulation of startle
(PMS), a new aim of this proposal is to study PMS in definitive groups
of boys with ADHD with and without nocturnal enuresis and boys with pure
nocturnal enuresis.  These groups will be large enough so that their
dimensional characteristics (severity of ADHD, and frequency of
nocturnal enuresis) and expected comorbidity (oppositional defiant
disorder in ADHD, daytime wetting and encopresis in nocturnal enuretics,
and specific development disorders in both groups can be evaluated.
Because there is a strong familial component to primary nocturnal
enuresis, both parents of each pure enuretic boy will be tested for PMS.
Hence, this proposal will explore the possibility of a familial
neurophysiologic marker in enuresis.  A feature of this proposal is the
evaluation of diagnostic and functional neuroanatomic specificity.  This
will be achieved by comparing the enuretic and ADHD populations not only
with normal controls but also with each other on both the PMS and CPT
attenuation of startle experiments.  It is anticipated that the
enuretics will show deficient inhibitory PMS and normal CPT attenuation
of startle, suggesting a primary brainstem dysfunction, while ADHD boys
will show the opposite, suggesting cortical dysfunction, with downstream
effects on startle modulation.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 2197073
- **Project number:** 5R01HD014193-11
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
- **SAM.gov UEI:** RN64EPNH8JC6
- **Principal Investigator:** EDWARD M ORNITZ
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1994
- **Award amount:** $289,421
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1981-09-01 → 1996-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/2197073

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 2197073, NORMAL DEVELOPMENT OF STARTLE RESPONSES (5R01HD014193-11). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/2197073. Licensed CC0.

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