RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 The neurofunctional basis of affective startle modulation in humans – evidence from combined facial EMG-fMRI JF bioRxiv FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory SP 567032 DO 10.1101/567032 A1 Manuel Kuhn A1 Julia Wendt A1 Rachel Sjouwerman A1 Christian Büchel A1 Alfons Hamm A1 Tina B. Lonsdorf YR 2019 UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2019/03/05/567032.abstract AB The startle reflex, a protective response elicited by an immediate, unexpected sensory event, is potentiated when evoked during threat and inhibited during safety. In contrast to skin conductance responses or pupil dilation, modulation of the startle reflex is valence-specific and considered the cross-species translational tool for defensive responding.Rodent models implicate a modulatory pathway centering on the brainstem (i.e., nucleus reticularis pontis caudalis, PnC) and the centromedial amygdala (CeM) as key hubs for flexibly integrating valence information into differential startle magnitude.We employed innovative combined EMG-fMRI measurements in two independent experiments and samples and provide converging evidence for the involvement of these key regions in the modulatory acoustic startle reflex pathway in humans. Furthermore, we provide the crucial direct link between EMG startle eye-blink magnitude and neural response strength.We argue that startle-evoked amygdala responding and its affective modulation may hold promise as an important novel tool for affective neuroscience.