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The vagus nerve. Polyvagal theory (PVT) is a collection of proposed evolutionary, neuroscientific, and psychological constructs pertaining to the role of the vagus nerve in emotion regulation, social connection and fear response. The theory was introduced in 1994 by Stephen Porges. [1]
Stephen W. Porges (born 1945) is an American psychologist.He is the Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. [1] Porges is also currently Director of the Kinsey Institute Traumatic Stress Research Consortium at Indiana University Bloomington, [2] which studies trauma.
The polyvagal theory by Porges is an influential model of how the vagal pathways respond to novelty and to stressful external stimuli. [30] [31] [32] The theory proposes that there are two vagal systems, one that is shared with reptiles and amphibia and a second, more recent, system that is unique to mammals. The two pathways behave differently ...
Vagus nerve stimulation can also increase the release of important brain chemicals such as serotonin and norepinephrine, which help regulate mood and are typically low in people with depression ...
The vagus nerve is part of the parasympathetic nervous system, often called the “rest and digest” system because it helps the body relax after periods of stress and regulates bodily functions ...
The vagus nerve is also responsible for regulating inflammation in the body, via the inflammatory reflex. [7] Efferent vagus nerve fibers innervating the pharynx and back of the throat are responsible for the gag reflex. In addition, 5-HT 3 receptor-mediated afferent vagus stimulation in the gut due to gastroenteritis is a cause of vomiting. [8]
Vagovagal reflex refers to gastrointestinal tract reflex circuits where afferent and efferent fibers of the vagus nerve [1] coordinate responses to gut stimuli via the dorsal vagal complex in the brain. The vagovagal reflex controls contraction of the gastrointestinal muscle layers in response to distension of the tract by food.
An unexpected finding from this work is the vagus nerve, a parasympathetic nerve, controls the splenic nerve, a sympathetic nerve. [15] Additionally in 2011, Tracey and colleagues discovered a memory T cell subset that secretes acetylcholine in the spleen when activated by signals arising in the vagus nerve, named "T ChAt" cells. [15]