startle response.<unk>  <unk>  is a neurological phenomenon in which a weaker prestimulus<unk>  inhibits the reaction of an organism to a subsequent strong reflex-eliciting stimulus (pulse), often using the startle reflex. The stimuli are usually acoustic, but tactile stimuli (e.g. via air puffs onto the skin) and light stimuli are also used. When<unk>  is high, the corresponding one-time startle response is reduced. The reduction of the amplitude of startle reflects the ability of the nervous system to temporarily adapt to a strong sensory stimulus when a preceding weaker signal is given to warn the organism.<unk>  is detected in numerous species including mice and humans. Although the extent of the adaptation affects numerous systems, the most comfortable to measure are the muscular reactions, which are normally diminished as a result of the nervous<unk> . Deficits of<unk>  manifest in the inability to filter out the unnecessary information; they have been linked to abnormalities of sensorimotor gating. Such deficits are noted in patients suffering from illnesses like schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease, and in people under the influence of drugs, surgical manipulations, or mutations. Human studies of<unk>  have been summarised in reviews by Braff et al. (2001) and Swerdlow et al. (2008).<unk>  and startle reflex apparatus for mice
Prepulse inhibition
Burst suppression
Lateral inhibition
Spike-timing-dependent plasticity
Fencing response
Intermuscular coherence
Disinhibition
Counterstimulation