Lack of Acoustic Startle Response

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Lack of Acoustic Startle Response and Drug Addiction: an Integrated Approach Amy L. Holmes Kennesaw State University Lack of Acoustic Startle Response and Drug Addiction: an Integrated Approach For some what might start as a night on the town that included a onetime use of an illegal substance may for another turn into chronic addiction. Addiction can lead to so many downfalls in a person’s life that they become a burden on society in the form of the need for public assistance, such as welfare due to lose of income from job lose, or imprisonment. They expose themselves and loved ones to health issues such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV/AID) or Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). Methamphetamines and methylenedioxymehamphetamine (MDMA; “ecstasy”) use alone has grown significantly over the last decade (Phillips, Kamens, & Wheeler, 2008). Does an individual’s acoustic startle response increase during their drug addiction or while they are in recovery. Based on this could we determine early on in an individual life if an individual lacks the acoustic startle response are they more apt to become addicted to an illegal substance. One way to understand the relationship between addiction and acoustic startle response is through integration of Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) and Psychopharmacology. PNI deals with the body’s psychobiological responses to stress. The foundation of Psychological stress has been found to be based on the lack of control and predictability. This stress will increase an individual’s Cortical levels which can then be measured from a saliva sample and from that measurement a determination on the persons level of stress can be made. This stress level associated with the lack of control plays an important role in becoming addicted and staying addicted. How can some stress make you feel sick while other stress
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