Fear potentiated startle (FPS) is a reflexive physiological reaction to a neutral stimulus or environment as a result of fear conditioning

Fear conditioning

Fear conditioning is a behavioral paradigm in which organisms learn to predict aversive events. It is a form of learning in which an aversive stimulus is associated with a particular neutral context or neutral stimulus , resulting in the expression of fear responses to the originally neutral...

, a process that occurs when a benign stimulus comes to evoke fear and anxiety upon being paired with a traumatic or fear-provoking stimulus/event. The stimulus in question can be of auditory or visual nature, and startle response measures include eyeblink rates and pulse

Pulse

In medicine, one's pulse represents the tactile arterial palpation of the heartbeat by trained fingertips. The pulse may be palpated in any place that allows an artery to be compressed against a bone, such as at the neck , at the wrist , behind the knee , on the inside of the elbow , and near the...

/heart rate

Heart rate

Heart rate is the number of heartbeats per unit of time, typically expressed as beats per minute . Heart rate can vary as the body's need to absorb oxygen and excrete carbon dioxide changes, such as during exercise or sleep....

.

Treatment options

Several forms of medication acting on different neurotransmitters (e.g. GABA

Gabâ

Gabâ or gabaa, for the people in many parts of the Philippines), is the concept of a non-human and non-divine, imminent retribution. A sort of negative karma, it is generally seen as an evil effect on a person because of their wrongdoings or transgressions...

, dopamine

Dopamine

Dopamine is a catecholamine neurotransmitter present in a wide variety of animals, including both vertebrates and invertebrates. In the brain, this substituted phenethylamine functions as a neurotransmitter, activating the five known types of dopamine receptors—D1, D2, D3, D4, and D5—and their...

) in the brain have been shown to cause significant reductions in startle response; commonly, the medications that are effective in treating conditioned fear are those typically used in the treatment of anxiety. Moreover, alcohol has displayed significant effects on decreasing the FPS response.

Relation to posttraumatic stress disorder

A heightened startle response in the face of benign stimuli/settings is often seen in individuals suffering from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. ). For instance, combat veterans often experience panic and anxiety in reaction to unexpected loud noises. Fear conditioning, however, can cause individuals to exhibit heightened startle response and PTSD symptom manifestation when confronted with seemingly neutral stimuli, even in the absence of a distinct traumatic event.