Effects of d-Amphetamine and Haloperidol on Modulation of the Human Acoustic Startle Response

This study aimed to examine the effects of haloperidol and amphetamine on human startle response modulated by emotionallytoned film clips. Sixty participants, in two groups (one receiving haloperidol and the other receiving amphetamine) were tested using electromyography (EMG) to measure eye-blink muscle (orbicular oculi) while different emotions were induced by six 2-minute film clips. An affective rating shows the negative and positive effects of the two drugs on emotional reactivity, neither amphetamine nor haloperidol had any impact on the modulation of the startle response. The methodological and theoretical aspects of the study and findings will be discussed.