Porges S W
Department of Human Development, University of Maryland, College Park 20742, USA.
Psychophysiology. 1995 Jul;32(4):301-18. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.1995.tb01213.x.
The vagus, the 10th cranial nerve, contains pathways that contribute to the regulation of the internal viscera, including the heart. Vagal efferent fibers do not originate in a common brainstem structure. The Polyvagal Theory is introduced to explain the different functions of the two primary medullary source nuclei of the vagus: the nucleus ambiguus (NA) and the dorsal motor nucleus (DMNX). Although vagal pathways from both nuclei terminate on the sinoatrial node, it is argued that the fibers originating in NA are uniquely responsible for respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). Divergent shifts in RSA and heart rate are explained by independent actions of DMNX and NA. The theory emphasizes a phylogenetic perspective and speculates that mammalian, but not reptilian, brainstem organization is characterized by a ventral vagal complex (including NA) related to processes associated with attention, motion, emotion, and communication. Various clinical disorders, such as sudden infant death syndrome and asthma, may be related to the competition between DMNX and NA.
迷走神经，即第10对脑神经，包含有助于调节包括心脏在内的内脏器官的神经通路。迷走神经传出纤维并非起源于同一个脑干结构。提出了“多重迷走神经理论”来解释迷走神经的两个主要延髓源核团：疑核（NA）和迷走神经背核（DMNX）的不同功能。尽管来自这两个核团的迷走神经通路都终止于窦房结，但有人认为起源于疑核的纤维对呼吸性窦性心律不齐（RSA）具有独特的作用。RSA和心率的不同变化由迷走神经背核和疑核的独立作用来解释。该理论强调系统发育的观点，并推测哺乳动物而非爬行动物的脑干组织的特征是存在一个与注意力、运动、情感和交流相关过程有关的腹侧迷走神经复合体（包括疑核）。各种临床疾病，如婴儿猝死综合征和哮喘，可能与迷走神经背核和疑核之间的竞争有关。
