This story is from The Pulse, a weekly health and science podcast. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Sometimes, I wish I had a sign on my chair, as if I were a ...

The startle response is a sudden, reflex-like response to an unexpected stimulus, such as a loud noise or bright light. It is an unlearned and largely unconscious defense mechanism shared by animals ...

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 ...

University of Toronto researchers have discovered that the main purpose of the startle reflex -- the mechanism that makes people twitch at sudden loud noises -- is to protect the body against blows.

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 ...

Sabine Loeber, Bernhard Croissant, Helmut Nakovics, Anke Zimmer, Alexander Georgi, Sabine Klein, Carsten Diener, Andreas Heinz, Karl Mann, Herta Flor Psychotherapy ...

When we’re suddenly confronted with a shocking image, our skin becomes moist and we blink strongly. These actions are automatic and unintentional; they happen without conscious thought. So it may come ...

I’ve been reading a lot recently about the startle reflex as it applies to folks who suffer with panic disorder and agoraphobia. As you probably suspected, people diagnosed with this wretched curse ...