The effects of sex and neonatal maternal separation on fear-potentiated and light-enhanced startle

The observed sex differences add to the validity of the FPS and LES as animal paradigms of fear and anxiety. The findings indicate that these paradigms can be used to study the biological basis of sex differences in fear and anxiety. In contrast, the effects of MS on startle potentiation argue against the idea that MS provides a robust model for the predicted influences of early adverse effects on these startle potentiation measures of fear and anxiety.