Disorders of gut-brain interaction through the lens of polyvagal theory.

This paper introduces a metric capable of tracking a hypothetical brainstem "switching" mechanism involved in regulating the afferent influence of blood pressure on the vagal efferent control of heart rate. In theory, this metric could be applied to evaluate the "efficiency" of brainstem pathways involved in common mechanisms of autonomic function involving the vagal influences on the gut as well as the heart. Thus, by exploring the dynamic "efficiency" of the brainstem feedback circuit linking heart rate to posture, a clinically relevant index of vagal flexibility might be extracted that would provide a generalizable window into the vagal regulation of both the heart and gut.

Impact trajectories of childhood maltreatment duration on affective and social development.

Childhood maltreatment (CM) deeply impacts victims' social competences. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect that CM duration exerts on victims' affective and social development testing three different impact trajectories (i.e.

The relationship between cardiac activity, behaviour and endogenous oxytocin and vasopressin in Prader-Willi Syndrome: An exploratory study.

This study aimed to increase our understanding of cardiac activity abnormalities in Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) and the relationship between cardiac activity, PWS behaviours thought to be associated with cardiac vagal tone and endogenous oxytocin and vasopressin levels. We compared cardiac activity (respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), low-frequency heart rate variability (LF-HRV), heart period) in 30 adolescents and adults with PWS to 30 typically developing age-matched controls. RSA, LF-HRV, and heart period were lower in individuals with PWS than in the control group.

Corrigendum to' The vagal paradox: A polyvagal solution' [Compr. Psychoneuroendocrinology 16C (2023) 100200].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.cpnec.

The vagal paradox: A polyvagal solution.

Although there is a consistent literature documenting that vagal cardioinhibitory pathways support homeostatic functions, another less frequently cited literature implicates vagal cardioinhibitory pathways in compromises to survival in humans and other mammals. The latter is usually associated with threat reactions, chronic stress, and potentially lethal clinical conditions such as hypoxia. Solving this 'vagal paradox' in studies conducted in the neonatal intensive care unit served as the motivator for the Polyvagal Theory (PVT).

Association of Self-Reported Autonomic Symptoms With Sensor-Based Physiological Measures.

Objective: Autonomic regulation of organ and tissues may give rise to disruptions of typical functions. The Body Perception Questionnaire Short Form (BPQ-SF) includes items that were developed to assess autonomic symptoms in daily life. This pair of studies aimed to establish previously unexplored psychometric properties of the BPQ-SF autonomic symptoms scale, develop normative values for clinical and research use, and assess the convergence of self-reports with sensor-based measures.

Appeasement: replacing Stockholm syndrome as a definition of a survival strategy.

Stockholm syndrome or (Painter & Dutton, Patterns of emotional bonding in battered women: Traumatic bonding. , (4), 363-375, 1985) has been used in mainstream culture, legal, and some clinical settings to describe a hypothetical phenomenon of trauma survivors developing powerful emotional attachments to their abuser. It has frequently been used to explain the reported 'positive bond' between some kidnap victims and their captor's, although scarce empirical research has supported this assertion.

Differential Momentary Reports of Stress and Affect Associated With Alcohol Consumption in Middle-Aged Versus Younger Adults.

: Stress is a motivator to consume alcohol, a well-documented relapse risk, and is known to differentially affect biological and psychological processes as people age.: Because alcohol consumption is known to acutely decrease stress and increase affect, this study examined differences in ratings of stress and affect in middle-aged versus younger adults who regularly consume alcohol.: A sample of younger ( = 17) and middle-aged ( = 18) drinkers was studied during a 3-day period of typical alcohol consumption.

A study of respiratory sinus arrhythmia and stuttering persistence.

Introduction: The present study investigated potential differences in respiratory sinus arrhythmia between preschool-age children with persisting stuttering, children who recovered from stuttering, and children who do not stutter.

Methods: Participants were 10 children with persisting stuttering (persisting group), 20 children who recovered from stuttering (recovered group), and 36 children who do not stutter (non-stuttering group). Participants viewed a neutral video clip to establish a pre-arousal baseline and then viewed two emotionally-arousing video clips (positive and negative, counterbalanced).

Cardiac Vagal Regulation Is Impeded in Children With Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome.

Introduction: The pathophysiology underlying cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS) remains undefined. Scant data and distinct clinical features point to altered autonomic nervous system function. Autonomic signaling can be noninvasively assessed through cardiac indices of parasympathetic vagal regulation, which is reduced in children with disorders of gut-brain interaction.

Association of childhood maltreatment with adult body awareness and autonomic reactivity: The moderating effect of practicing body psychotherapy.

Research shows the disruptive effects of early maltreatment on the autonomic nervous system (ANS) functioning in adulthood. Psychotherapists not only tend to report higher rates of personal experience with early maltreatment, but also fewer mental problems and disturbances in adulthood, as compared to other professions. However, the role of the ANS in these processes has been understudied despite the relevance of the therapist's psychological state and related nonverbal communication for the therapeutic alliance.

Heart Rate Variability: A Personal Journey.

Heart rate variabfility (HRV) has been a focal point throughout my academic history. To put into perspective, I have published studies spanning seven decades focusing on HRV (1969-2022). My interest in HRV started early in graduate school and continues to be an important portal informing my theoretical perspective.

"A new measure of feeling safe: Developing psychometric properties of the Neuroception of Psychological Safety Scale (NPSS)": Correction.

Unlabelled: Reports an error in "A new measure of feeling safe: Developing psychometric properties of the Neuroception of Psychological Safety Scale (NPSS)" by Liza Morton, Nicola Cogan, Jacek Kolacz, Calum Calderwood, Marek Nikolic, Thomas Bacon, Emily Pathe, Damien Williams and Stephen W. Porges (, Advanced Online Publication, Jul 18, 2022, np). In the original article, the first name of Jacek Kolacz was misspelled as "Jakec" in the author byline and twice in the acknowledgments.

A new measure of feeling safe: Developing psychometric properties of the Neuroception of Psychological Safety Scale (NPSS).

Unlabelled: [Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported online in on Sep 15 2022 (see record 2023-01894-001). In the original article, the first name of Jacek Kolacz was misspelled as "Jakec" in the author byline and twice in the acknowledgments. In addition, the affiliations of Jacek Kolacz and Stephen W.

Polyvagal Theory: A biobehavioral journey to sociality.

A polyvagal perspective clarifies the neurobiological and biobehavioral shifts that occurred during evolutionary transition from asocial reptiles to social mammals. This transition enabled mammals, unlike their reptilian ancestors, to derive a biological benefit from social interactions. This innovation enabled social behavior to function as a neuromodulator that could efficiently regulate and optimize autonomic function to support homeostatic processes.

Childhood Maltreatment Influences Autonomic Regulation and Mental Health in College Students.

Childhood maltreatment history may influence autonomic reactivity and recovery to stressors. Hypothetically, the maltreatment history may contribute to a retuned autonomic nervous system that is reflected in a novel metric, vagal efficiency (VE), designed to assess the functional efficiency of vagal cardioinhibitory pathways on heart rate. We explored whether VE mediates the well-documented relationship between maltreatment history and psychiatric symptoms.

Increased Autonomic Reactivity and Mental Health Difficulties in COVID-19 Survivors: Implications for Medical Providers.

Background: Because there is a relationship between mental health (MH) and medical adversity and autonomic dysregulation, we hypothesized that individuals infected with COVID-19 would report greater current autonomic reactivity and more MH difficulties (emotional distress, mindfulness difficulties, and posttraumatic stress). We also hypothesized that individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 who are experiencing difficulties related to their prior adversity and those providing medical care to COVID-19 patients would be more negatively impacted due to their increased stress and infection rates.

Method: US participants ( = 1,638; 61% female; Age = 46.

Polyvagal Theory: A Science of Safety.

Contemporary strategies for health and wellbeing fail our biological needs by not acknowledging that feelings of safety emerge from internal physiological states regulated by the autonomic nervous system. The study of feelings of safety has been an elusive construct that has historically been dependent upon subjectivity. Acknowledging that feelings of safety have a measurable underlying neurophysiological substrate would shift investigations of feelings of safety from a subjective to an objective science.

Correction: Peterson et al. Influence of Heart Rate Variability on Abstinence-Related Changes in Brain State in Everyday Drinkers. 2021, , 817.

In the original article [...

Breastfeeding is related to atypical autonomic and behavior regulation in infants with a history of excessive crying.

The study investigated autonomic regulation during feeding in six-month old infants with a history of excessive crying (EC) and social-behavioral development at 12 and 24 months. When contrasted with non-EC infants (NEC), EC infants had atypical autonomic responses observed as dampened reductions in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and decreases in heart period (HP) during feeding. EC infants demonstrated atypical autonomic regulation only if they were bottle-fed, while breastfed EC infants had patterns of autonomic regulation similar to NEC infants.

Autonomic Measures in Differentiating Depressive Disorders: A Potential AID.

Objective: The present study aimed at exploring the potential utility of autonomic regulation as a useful marker in the diagnostic differentiation between unipolar and bipolar depression.

Method: Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), low-frequency (LF) of heart rate variability, and systolic blood pressure (SBP) were assessed in patients with bipolar depression (31) and major depressive disorder (MDD=32), and in healthy controls (HCs=32). Since bipolar depressed subjects were maintained on specific medications to manage manic/hypomanic symptoms, we explored whether mood stabilizers (atypical antipsychotics and anticonvulsants or their combinations) could independently affect the physiological parameters.

Real-time facial emotion recognition deficits across the psychosis spectrum: A B-SNIP Study.

Affective and non-affective psychotic disorders are associated with variable levels of impairment in affective processing, but this domain typically has been examined via presentation of static facial images. We compared performance on a dynamic facial expression identification task across six emotions (sad, fear, surprise, disgust, anger, happy) in individuals with psychotic disorders (bipolar with psychotic features [PBD] = 113, schizoaffective [SAD] = 163, schizophrenia [SZ] = 181) and healthy controls (HC; n = 236) derived from the Bipolar-Schizophrenia Network on Intermediate Phenotypes (B-SNIP). These same individuals with psychotic disorders were also grouped by B-SNIP-derived Biotype (Biotype 1 [B1] = 115, Biotype 2 [B2] = 132, Biotype 3 [B3] = 158), derived from a cluster analysis applied to a large biomarker panel that did not include the current data.

Associations between acoustic features of maternal speech and infants' emotion regulation following a social stressor.

Caregiver voices may provide cues to mobilize or calm infants. This study examined whether maternal prosody predicted changes in infants' biobehavioral state after the still face, a stressor in which the mother withdraws and reinstates social engagement. Ninety-four dyads participated in the study (infant age 4-8 months).