Using airpuffs to elicit the human blink reflex

Haerich, Paul

doi:10.3758/bf03209484

Cited by 12 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Airpuff stimuli directed to the skin anywhere in the upper part of the face elicit blink reflexes as effectively as do electrocutaneous stimuli but, as noted above, may be less anxiogenic. For a description of the stimulation apparatus, see Haerich (1998) or Berg and Balaban (1999). Airpuffs of sufficient intensity elicit R1 and R2 responses with onset latencies longer than those of electrically elicited blinks due to the delay introduced by mechanoreceptor activation time.…”

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“…The intensity of the airpuff stimulus will vary with air pressure, the diameter of the air tube's orifice, and the distance from the orifice to the skin. With an orifice of 0.5–1 cm at a distance of 1 cm from the skin lateral to the outer canthus, a stimulus with an outflow air pressure in the range of 5–35 kPa is usually sufficient to elicit a robust blink reflex (Berg & Balaban, 1999; Haerich, 1998; Hawk & Cook, 1997). Stimulus duration is usually in the range of 100–300 ms. Airpuffs regulated by solenoid‐operated valves (Haerich, 1998) may have slow rise and fall times, which cause uncertainty about the temporal relationship between the stimulus and the activation of cutaneous receptors.…”

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“…With an orifice of 0.5–1 cm at a distance of 1 cm from the skin lateral to the outer canthus, a stimulus with an outflow air pressure in the range of 5–35 kPa is usually sufficient to elicit a robust blink reflex (Berg & Balaban, 1999; Haerich, 1998; Hawk & Cook, 1997). Stimulus duration is usually in the range of 100–300 ms. Airpuffs regulated by solenoid‐operated valves (Haerich, 1998) may have slow rise and fall times, which cause uncertainty about the temporal relationship between the stimulus and the activation of cutaneous receptors. A high‐speed air control system that delivers brief airpuffs (duration 1.2 ms, rise time 0.5 ms) with high peak pressures (maximally 122 kPa) to small areas of skin (2.5 mm 2 ) avoids this (Hashimoto, 1987; Mizobuchi et al, 2000).…”

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“…Electrical noise and clicks produced by a solenoid‐operated valve can be avoided by shielding and insulating the valve or by placing the equipment in a separate room. The flow of air itself causes an acoustic artifact via air or bone conduction (Flaten & Blumenthal, 1998; Haerich, 1998), which summates with the tactile stimulation and may contribute to the blink reflex. The acoustic component can be masked by presenting background noise through the headphones (Miller, Curtin, & Patrick, 1999), although the possible impact of this noise on startle reactivity must be considered (see the section “Stimulus Properties” above).…”

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“…The acoustic component can be masked by presenting background noise through the headphones (Miller, Curtin, & Patrick, 1999), although the possible impact of this noise on startle reactivity must be considered (see the section “Stimulus Properties” above). Alternatives include the use of sound‐attenuating headphones or earplugs or lowering the intensity of the airpuff (such as by using tubing with a smaller internal diameter; Flaten & Blumenthal, 1998; Haerich, 1998). The intensity and temporal characteristics of the acoustic stimulus component should be measured and reported.…”

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Committee report: Guidelines for human startle eyeblink electromyographic studies

et al. 2005

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The human startle response is a sensitive, noninvasive measure of central nervous system activity that is currently used in a wide variety of research and clinical settings. In this article, we raise methodological issues and present recommendations for optimal methods of startle blink electromyographic (EMG) response elicitation, recording, quantification, and reporting. It is hoped that this report will foster more methodological validity and reliability in research using the startle response, as well as increase the detail with which relevant methodology is reported in publications using this measure. Descriptors: Startle, Blink, Electromyographic (EMG), HumanDue to the dramatic increase in the use of the startle blink response in research and clinical settings, Gregory Miller, then Editor of Psychophysiology (2001), appointed a committee to consider guidelines for startle blink research in humans. The result is this article, the aim of which is to propose a series of suggestions that might guide researchers in the collection and reporting of data based on the blink component of the startle response. Due to space limitations, this article will not deal with several areas of interest to startle researchers, such as affect, attention, psychopathology, and prepulse inhibition, but will instead focus on the fundamental methodology applied when startle blink electromyographic (EMG) data are used to investigate any research question. One goal of this article is to bring a higher degree of both reliability and validity to this research area by summarizing recent research in which alternative methods have been compared and by providing criteria for choosing among them. Another goal is to encourage the reporting of relevant methodological details in publications in this area of research. We hope that this article will serve as a guide for researchers new to the area of startle, showing them the potential ramifications of deciding to do things one way rather than another. Moreover, experienced researchers may benefit from a review of the methodological advances that have been made in this area over the past few years, and may even reconsider some of their current practices.

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