Technical Development of Clinical Laboratory Studies

Objective The purpose of this protocol is to get adequate normal values to compare in clinical patient studies. Study population There will be two techniques developed in this study: Somatosensory Temporal Discrimination Threshold (STDT) and Acoustic Startle Reflex (ASR). For both studies we will collect data systematically in an adequate sample of normal subjects. We plan to recruit the following number of healthy volunteers (HV s) for each study. STDT: 50 HV ASR: 50 HV Design Subjects will come for up to 3 outpatient visits, during which they will participate in at least the STDT or the ASR. Before participation in any study, all participants will undergo screening for medical history and physical examination. For the STDT, the index finger in both hands will be stimulated. For the ASR, auditory stimulation will be administered at varying intervals. Subjects will also be asked to complete State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) before participation in the study. Outcome measures STDT: discrimination threshold value ASR: EMG response from seven muscles, heart rate, and galvanic skin response