Abstract
The polyvagal theory introduced a new perspective relating autonomic function to behavior, that included an appreciation of the autonomic nervous system as a “system,” the identification of neural circuits involved in the regulation of autonomic state, and an interpretation of autonomic reactivity as adaptive within the context of the phylogeny of the vertebrate autonomic nervous system. The paper has two objectives: first, to provide an explicit statement of the theory; and second, to introduce the features of a polyvagal perspective. The polyvagal perspective emphasizes how an understanding of neurophysiological mechanisms and phylogenetic shifts in neural regulation leads to different questions, paradigms, explanations, and conclusions regarding autonomic function in biobehavioral processes than peripheral models. Foremost, the polyvagal perspective emphasizes the importance of phylogenetic changes in the neural structures regulating the autonomic nervous system and how these phylogenetic shifts provide insights into the adaptive function and the neural regulation of the two vagal systems.
Keywords
Autonomic nervous system; Heart rate variability; Respiratory sinus arrhythmia; Vagus; Polyvagal theory; Parasympathetic; Respiration; Vagal tone; Evolution; Phylogeny
Section snippets
Overview
The polyvagal theory (Porges, 1995) introduced a new perspective relating autonomic function to behavior. This perspective includes an appreciation of the autonomic nervous system as a “system,” the identification of neural circuits involved in the regulation of autonomic state, and an interpretation of autonomic reactivity as adaptive within the context of the phylogeny of the vertebrate autonomic nervous system. The polyvagal theory encourages a level of inquiry that challenges scientists to...
The polyvagal theory: a phylogenetic theory of adaptive reactions to challenge
Within this historical context, the polyvagal theory was presented (Porges, 1995) as an emerging model of neural regulation of the autonomic nervous system. In the original presentation (Porges, 1995), the following seven points were listed to summarize the theory:
(1) The vagal system does not represent a unitary dimension.
(2) There are two vagal motor systems.
(3) In mammals, the concept that vagal tone represents a single or summed system may have limited physiological or heuristic value.
(4) The functional
Levels of inquiry
Imbedded in the polyvagal theory is a generalizable and expansive perspective of inquiry. What are the features of this perspective? How does this perspective influence the conceptualization of research questions and paradigms in psychophysiology? The polyvagal perspective reflects a level of inquiry that emphasizes neurophysiological mechanisms and neurobiological organizing principles to determine how heart rate measures, as non-invasive features of adaptive neural circuits, are related to...