Autism and Developmental Disorders Colloquium Series

“Behavioral features of autism: A Polyvagal perspective”

Stephen W. Porges, Ph.D.

Professor of Psychiatry, BioEngineering, and Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine; Director, Brain-Body Center

6:00 p.m., Tuesday, July 1, 2008
MIT Building 46-3002 (auditorium), followed by a reception

Building Address: 43 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA 02139

Hosted by the Brain Development and Disorders Project at MIT

Supported by the Simons Foundation and the Anne and Paul Marcus Family Foundation

Colloquia sponsored by the Autism Consortium

Please RSVP to lmavros@mit.edu

The Polyvagal Theory introduces a new perspective relating autonomic function to behavior that 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 provides a new perspective to explore the behavioral features of autism and emphasizes the role that autonomic function has in the regulation of affective states and social behavior. Foremost, the polyvagal perspective emphasizes the importance of phylogenetic changes in the neural structures regulating the heart and how these phylogenetic shifts provide insights into the adaptive function of both physiology and behavior. The theory emphasizes the phylogenetic emergence of two vagal systems: a potentially lethal ancient circuit involved in defensive strategies of immobilization (e.g., fainting, dissociative states) and a newer mammalian circuit linking the heart to the face that is involved in both social engagement behaviors and in dampening reactivity of the sympathetic nervous system and the HPA-axis. When the theory is applied to autism, several of the behavioral features of autism can be interpreted as adaptive emergent properties dependent on autonomic state. Moreover, new intervention strategies can be developed that are designed to trigger the specific neural circuits that support spontaneous social engagement behaviors.