We all jump at an unexpected noise or touch, but in some people, this startle response is exaggerated, and can cause falls and even death. Now, researchers in the United Kingdom have found new genes ...

Variations in a gene that regulates the brain chemical dopamine may help explain why some people are more prone to anxiety than others, a new study suggests. The gene in question, known as COMT, ...

LA CROSSE, Wis. (WEAU) - While the fireworks that accompany the Fourth of July are fun for some, others may find them traumatic. Marcia Dunn, Outpatient Therapist with Gundersen Health System, says ...

Oxytocin reportedly decreases anxious feelings in humans and may therefore have therapeutic value for anxiety disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As PTSD patients have ...

Two new studies identify genetic mutations that play important roles in the condition commonly referred to as startle disease. Startle disease is characterized by an exaggerated response to noise and ...

Research funded by children's charity Action Medical Research has uncovered new gene variants in startle disease, a rare condition in newborn babies. Understanding the genetic causes should lead to ...

The acoustic startle response is an unconditional reflex manifested as a rapid contraction of facial and skeletal muscles in response to a sudden and intense startling stimulus. Translational research ...

Oxytocin is known to have anti-anxiety and anti-stress effects. Using a fear-potentiated startle paradigm in rats, we previously demonstrated that subcutaneously administered oxytocin suppressed ...