Author: Mulkey SB1,2, du Plessis AJ3,4
Affiliation: <sup>1</sup>Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC, USA. sbmulkey@childrensnational.org.
<sup>2</sup>Division of Fetal and Transitional Medicine, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, USA. sbmulkey@childrensnational.org.
<sup>3</sup>Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC, USA.
<sup>4</sup>Division of Fetal and Transitional Medicine, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, USA.
Conference/Journal: Pediatr Res.
Date published: 2018 Aug 30
Other:
Special Notes: doi: 10.1038/s41390-018-0155-0. [Epub ahead of print] , Word Count: 181
The central autonomic nervous system (ANS) is essential for maintaining cardiovascular and respiratory homeostasis in the newborn and has a critical role in supporting higher cortical functions. At birth, the central ANS is maturing and is vulnerable to adverse environmental and physiologic influences. Critical connections are formed early in development between the ANS and limbic system to integrate psychological and body responses. The Polyvagal Theory, developed by Stephen Porges, describes how modulation of the autonomic vagal impulse controls social responses and that a broad range of neuropsychiatric disorders may be due to impaired vagal balance, with either deficient vagal tone or excessive vagal reactivity. Under additional circumstances of prematurity, growth restriction, and environmental stress in the fetus and newborn, the immature ANS may undergo "dysmaturation". Maternal stress and health as well as the intrauterine environment are also quite important and have been implicated in causing ANS changes in the infant and neuropsychiatric diseases in children. This review will cover the aspects of ANS development and maturation that have been associated with neuropsychiatric disorders in children.
PMID: 30166644 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-018-0155-0