Fear-Potentiated Startle Prospectively Predicts Alcohol Use Patterns in Individuals Exposed to Trauma

Exposure to trauma increases risk for mental health disorders, including substance use. As a putative biomarker for PTSD, fear-potentiated startle (FPS) may also have clinical utility as a predictive biomarker for substance use disorders in the context of trauma exposure. This study recruited participants in the Emergency Department (ED) as part of the AURORA study; we hypothesized that FPS immediately following trauma would predict more severe substance use later.