Source Paper
Impaired prepulse inhibition of acoustic and tactile startle response in patients with Huntington's disease.
N R Swerdlow, J Paulsen, D L Braff, N Butters, M A Geyer et al.
Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry • 1995
Dementia Rating Scale
Objective: Measure prepulse inhibition (PPI) of acoustic and tactile startle response in patients with Huntington's disease and correlate startle reflex slowing with cognitive impairment using the dementia rating scale
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Protocol Steps
Baseline cognitive assessment
Administer dementia rating scale to assess cognitive impairment in patients with Huntington's disease
Note: Cognitive scores will be correlated with startle reflex measurements
View evidence from paper
“startle reflex slowing correlates with cognitive impairment measured by the dementia rating scale”
Interference assessment
Administer Stroop test to measure performance disruptive effects of interference
Note: Results will be correlated with startle reflex slowing
View evidence from paper
“startle reflex slowing correlates with cognitive impairment measured by the dementia rating scale, and with the performance disruptive effects of interference measured by the Stroop test”
Acoustic startle measurement
Measure startle reflex elicited by acoustic stimuli with and without prepulse stimulation
Note: Prepulse intervals should range from 30-500 ms; measure prepulse inhibition (PPI) as the reduction in startle amplitude
View evidence from paper
“startle reflex is normally inhibited when the startling stimulus is preceded 30-500 ms earlier by a weak prepulse”
Tactile startle measurement
Measure startle reflex elicited by tactile stimuli with and without prepulse stimulation
Note: Startle gating deficits should be evident with both acoustic and tactile stimuli
View evidence from paper
“Startle gating deficits are evident in patients with Huntington's disease when startle is elicited by either acoustic or tactile stimuli”
Measure startle amplitude and habituation
Record startle amplitude across trials and assess habituation patterns
Note: Startle amplitude and habituation are largely intact in Huntington's disease patients
View evidence from paper
“Startle amplitude and habituation and latency facilitation are largely intact in these patients”
Measure startle reflex latency
Record latency of startle response and assess for slowing compared to controls
Note: Reflex latency is significantly slowed in Huntington's disease patients and correlates with cognitive impairment
View evidence from paper
“reflex latency is significantly slowed. In patients with Huntington's disease, startle reflex slowing correlates with cognitive impairment”
Vary prepulse parameters
Test startle response with varying prepulse intervals and intensities to assess modulatory effects
Note: Huntington's disease patients show little or no PPI even with optimal stimuli and lack normal modulatory effects
View evidence from paper
“Even with stimuli that elicit maximal PPI in normal subjects, patients with Huntington's disease exhibit little or no PPI, and their pattern of startle gating does not show the normal modulatory effects usually elicited by changing the prepulse interval or intensity”