WFU Psychology

Terry Blumenthal

Education

	B.Sc., University of Alberta (Edmonton) 1979
	M.S., University of Florida, 1982
	PhD, University of Florida, 1985

Research interests:

My work involves using the startle reflex to look at central nervous system function. The startle reflex is an easy and noninvasive measure of CNS activity, and we assess this activity by measuring the electrical activity of the muscle that causes the eye to blink. This muscle activity is driven directly by a set of neurons in the brainstem and is affected by a number of different factors, such as stimulus parameters (physical properties of the stimulus, which sensory system is stimulated, interactions between sensory systems), subject parameters (extraversion, anxiety), and situation parameters (social encounter, directed attention). Two nice things about this startle reflex are: 1) the fact that we can easily measure CNS activity without breaking the skin, and 2) the fact that this reflex is so sensitive to a wide variety of factors. This makes the startle reflex a useful probe or measurement tool for those factors.

Recent projects include using the startle response and its modification by other stimuli to evaluate a variety of issues in several areas of psychology. These include looking at differences in automatic processing of stimuli during periods of directed attention versus relaxation; evaluating simple stimulus processing during anticipation of a social encounter, in people with either high or low trait anxiety; measuring differences in information processing in people who consider themselves to be either “morning” or “evening” people, when evaluated at either their peak time or their off-peak time; measuring fundamental information processing properties based on signal-to-noise ratio and stimulus intensity. We also collaborate with labs at other Universities, and these projects currently involve using startle responding as an assessment of information processing abilities in schizophrenia, and using startle modification to evaluate dopamine systems in newborn babies. Students work on a variety of projects with each other, and we often submit completed projects for presentation at national and international scientific meetings, as well as for publication.

Scholarly Interests:

Physiological mechanisms that underlie behavior and information processing

Representative Publications:

	Blumenthal, T.D., Noto, J.V., Fox, M.A., & Franklin, J.C. (2006). Background noise decreases both prepulse elicitation and inhibition of acoustic startle blink responding. Biological Psychology, 72, 173-179.
	Blumenthal, T. D., Cuthbert, B. N.,  Filion, D. L., Hackley, S. A., Lipp, O. V., & van Boxtel, A. (2005). Committee report: Guidelines for human startle eyeblink electromyographic studies. Psychophysiology, 42, 1-15.
	Hill, B.D., & Blumenthal, T.D. (2005). Inhibition of acoustic startle using different mechanoreceptive channels. Perception and Psychophysics, 67, 741-747.
	Blumenthal, T.D., Elden, A., & Flaten, M.A. (2004). A comparison of several methods used to quantify prepulse inhibition of eyeblink responding. Psychophysiology, 41, 326-332.
	Blumenthal, T.D., & Duncan, S.M. (2003). Attentuation of shock-elicited pain by electrical prepulses. In S.P. Shohov (Ed.), Advances in Psychology Research (Vol. 22, pp. 97-106). Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers.
	Hutchison, K.E., McGeary, J., Wooden, A., Blumenthal, T.D., & Ito, T. (2003). Startle magnitude and prepulse inhibition: Effects of alcohol and attention. Psychopharmacology, 167, 235-241.
	Blumenthal, T. D., & Swerdlow, C. D. (2002). Electrical shocks to the arm elicit and inhibit startle eyeblink. Psychophysiology, 39, 218-221.
	Blumenthal, T.D., Burnett, T.T., & Swerdlow, C. (2001). Prepulses reduce the pain of cutaneous electrical shocks. Psychosomatic Medicine, 63, 275-281.
	Blumenthal, T. D. (2001). Extraversion, attention, and startle response reactivity. Personality and Individual Differences, 30, 495-503.
	Melkonyan, D., Blumenthal, T. D., & Gordon, E. (1999). Numerical Fourier transform spectroscopy of EMG half-waves: Fragmentary-decomposition-based approach to nonstationary signal analysis. Biological Cybernetics, 81, 457-467.
	Flaten, M. A., & Blumenthal, T. D. (1999). Caffeine-associated stimuli elicit conditioned responses: An experimental model of the placebo effect.  Psychopharmacology, 145, 105-112.
	Blumenthal, T. D. (1999). Short lead interval modification. In Dawson, M. E., Schell, A. M., & Boehmelt, A. H., Startle modification: Implications for neuroscience, cognitive science, and clinical science. (pp 51-71). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
	Sarno, A. J., Blumenthal, T. D., & Boelhouwer, A. J. W. (1997). Modification of the electrically-elicited eyeblink by acoustic, visual, and vibrotactile pulses. Psychobiology, 25, 253-265.
	Norris, C. M., & Blumenthal, T. D. (1996). A relationship between inhibition of the acoustic startle response and the protection of prepulse processing. Psychobiology, 24, 160-168.

Courses taught: 

	Neurological Disorders (First Year Seminar)
	The Drug Wars (First Year Seminar)
	Introductory Psychology
	History and Systems of Psychology
	Physiological Psychology
	Psychopharmacology
	Research Methods

Resources:

Personal Interests:

Favorite Band: Dillon Fence