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Biological theory proposes that autonomic nervous system (ANS) hypo-reactivity may be more specific to proactive aggression, while ANS hyper-reactivity may be specific to affective aggression. However, the literature finds mixed support, which may be because no study to date has concurrently examined emotion dysregulation, a highly related variable, as a potential moderator. The present study examined these relationships in 76 undergraduate participants (29 men, mean age = 21.49) who identified as Caucasian (51%), African-American (23%), Asian (21%), or Other (5%). Participants completed questionnaires, a resting state task, and a provocation task. Results found that blunted overall ANS reactivity was associated with proactive aggression. Emotion dysregulation moderated the relationship between parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) and sympathetic nervous system (SNS) reactivity with both proactive (at a trending level for SNS reactivity) and affective aggression. Specifically, among those slightly above average and high on emotion dysregulation, PNS augmentation and blunted SNS reactivity were associated with proactive and affective aggression, respectively. In contrast, among those low on emotion dysregulation, PNS augmentation was associated with decreased affective aggression. Thus, among those elevated on emotion dysregulation, it may be beneficial to teach counter-regulatory strategies to reduce the impact of ANS hypo-reactivity on aggression (across function). / Psychology

Theories of emotion regulation and social engagement indicate that resting and reactive respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), which reflect vagal activity, in early childhood can inform the development of social and emotional behaviors later in life. Low RSA at baseline and during a stressful task have been associated with symptoms of ED and disorders characterized by social impairments. The current study examined the mediating role of ED at 24-months-old (mo) on the prospective association between early infant resting and reactive RSA at 5 mo on social functioning outcomes at 48 mo, and the mediating role of social functioning at 24 mo on infant RSA at 5 mo and ED at 48 mo in 237 healthy children. It was hypothesized that ED would mediate the relationship between infant RSA and later childhood social function. Results largely indicated no support of the hypotheses and that there is no mediating effect of childhood ED on early RSA on later childhood social behavior; however, there was a significant relationship between infant resting and reactive RSA and later ED. Limitations and future directions for improving the methodology are addressed. / M.S. / Early childhood heart rate has been thought to influence the development of later child emotional and social development. The Polyvagal Theory suggests that low variability in heart rate, as measured by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), is related to greater difficulties in emotional and social behavior. Finding an underlying biological reason for emotional and social development can be important for understanding childhood psychological disorders. This research study examined healthy children at three different time points during development: 5 months old (mo), 24 mo, 48 mo. RSA was measured at 5 mo, and frustration levels and social abilities at 24 and 48 mo. It was hypothesized that low RSA at 5 mo predicts low social abilities at 48 mo because of high frustration levels at 24 mo. To rule out an alternate hypothesis, this study also tested if low RSA at 5 mo predicts high frustration levels at 48 mo because of low social abilities at 24 mo. The results of this study did not support the predictions and there was no evidence of emotional abilities affecting how RSA predicts later social abilities. Possible explanations for the lack of findings and ideas for future research were discussed.

The neurovisceral integration model (NVM) proposes that an organisms ability to flexibly adapt to their environment is related to biological flexibility within the central autonomic network. One important aspect of this flexibility is behavioral inhibition (Thayer and Friedman, 2002). During a behavioral inhibition task, the central autonomic network (CAN), which is comprised of a series of feedback loops, must be able to integrate information and react to these inputs flexibly to facilitate optimal performance. The functioning of the CAN is shown to be associated with respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), as the vagus nerve is part of this feedback system. While the NVM has been examined through neural imaging and RSA, only a few studies have examined these measures simultaneously during the neuroimaging procedure. Furthermore, these studies were done at rest or used tasks that were not targeted at processes associated with the NVM, such as behavior inhibition and cognitive flexibility. For this reason, the present study assessed RSA and neural activation in the prefrontal cortex simultaneously while subjects completed a behavior inhibition task. Using a series of go/no-go tasks, RSA and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) were collected to investigate the relationship between prefrontal activation and vagal activity at rest and during behavioral inhibition. There are three primary aims of this study. First, examine prefrontal activation during various inhibition tasks through fNIRS. Second, evaluate the NVM during a cognitive task using simultaneous fNIRS and RSA analysis. Third, relate task performance, imaging, and RSA measures during behavioral inhibition to deficits in flexible everyday responding, as indicated by self-report measures of behavior. Doing so will elucidate the connection with prefrontal activation and RSA as proposed by the NVM model and determine whether neural and RSA metrics can be related to broader symptoms of inflexibility. / PHD / The neurovisceral integration model (NVM) proposes that the ability to adapt to the environment is related to biological flexibility within the brain. One important aspect of the ability to adapt to the environment is behavior inhibition (e.g., the ability to stop from engaging in a habitual response, Thayer & Friedman, 2002). During a behavior inhibition task, the brain must be able to integrate information and react to these inputs flexibly to facilitate optimal performance. The brain’s ability to do this is related to a measure of heart activity known as respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). The present study assessed RSA and brain activity while subjects completed a behavior inhibition task. Neural activation was measured through functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). fNIRS measures the amount of oxygenated blood in different areas of the brain. Greater concentrations of oxygenated blood indicated greater brain activity in an area. Through simultaneous fNIRS and RSA measurement the present study examined their relationship during various inhibition tasks. Doing so clarified the connection between brain activation and RSA as proposed by the NVM model.

The primary aim of this study was to investigate whether the joint action of the parasympathetic (PNS) and sympathetic nervous system (SNS) influenced three distinct indicators of child adjustment. Although evidence suggests that patterns of reactivity in the PNS and SNS each contribute to adjustment in youth, a paucity of work has examined the interaction between the two systems. Moreover, much of the research on children's autonomic reactivity has overly relied on variable-centered analytic approaches, which aim to predict variance and assume homogeneity in the relations between predictors and outcome. This project also incorporated a person-centered approach to systematically identify individual differences in the interrelation between PNS and SNS reactivity and to classify children into homogeneous autonomic reactivity groups. The person-centered results were then applied to variable-centered analyses to examine how adjustment varied across homogeneous autonomic reactivity groups. Thus, the goal of this study was to apply both variable-centered and person-centered analyses to investigate whether children's autonomic reactivity was related to child adjustment. Children (N = 64, 8-10 years, M = 9.06, SD = 0.81) and one parent completed a psychophysiological laboratory assessment at Wave 1 during which each child's respiratory sinus arrhythmia reactivity (RSAR; an index of PNS reactivity) and skin conductance level reactivity (SCLR; an index of SNS reactivity) was assessed in response to a mirror tracing challenge task. At both Wave 1 and Wave 2, each parent reported on their child's internalizing symptoms, externalizing symptoms, and social competence. The variable-centered analyses revealed that, consistent with hypotheses, the two-way RSAR x SCLR interaction was significant predicting internalizing symptoms at Time 1 and at Time 2. In both cases, RSA withdrawal was associated with fewer internalizing symptoms when coupled with low SCLR. When coupled with high SCLR, RSA withdrawal was associated with more internalizing symptoms at Time 1; however, RSAR was unrelated to Time 2 internalizing when coupled with high SCLR. In addition, SCLR was associated with more social competence and (marginally) fewer externalizing problems over time. The person-centered analyses (i.e., a model-based cluster analysis) identified two distinct clusters based on children's RSAR and SCLR. Children in Cluster 1 showed slight RSA withdrawal combined with SCL activation (modest reciprocal SNS activation) and exhibited marginally more internalizing and less social competence, as compared to children in Cluster 2 who, as a group, showed heightened RSAR (either withdrawal or augmentation) and SNS activation. When a 3-cluster model was examined, results indicated that children who showed modest reciprocal SNS activation (Cluster 1) showed marginally more internalizing symptoms then children who showed strong reciprocal SNS activation (Cluster 2A) and marginally less social competence then children who showed coactivation (Cluster 2B). This study offers important evidence that person-centered analyses can identify differences in autonomic reactivity that are relevant to children's adjustment. Cluster analysis identified only two (i.e., reciprocal SNS activation, coactivation) of the four autonomic profiles assumed to be represented in simple slope analyses in previous work. Thus, incorporating person-centered techniques in future research is an important and likely fruitful approach to investigating how autonomic reactivity contributes to child development.

L'objectif du travail était l'étude des effets ventilatoires et cardiovasculaires de l'hyperventilation volontaire (HV) ainsi que psychophysiologiques chez les sujets sains et les patients souffrant de trouble panique. Nous avons mené deux études : la première sur des sujets sains sur lesquels le débit ventilatoire, les mouvements du thorax et de l'abdomen, le pourcentage de CO2 dans l'air expiré (FETCO2), l'électrocardiogramme (ECG) ont été enregistre au cours de deux tests d'hyperventilation : l'un à la fréquence de repos (THV) et l'autre à la fréquence de 20 cycles par minute (THV20). La deuxième étude a porté sur un groupe de sujets sains (groupe contrôle) et un groupe de patients souffrant du trouble panique (TP) sur lesquels le débit ventilatoire et l'ECG ont été enregistrés et les niveaux d'anxiété (Spielbergher), de dépression (Beck), du stress (Holmes), des symptômes de troubles fonctionnels (Profil Végétatif) et des symptômes produits par l'hyperventilation ont été évalués. Les variables ventilatoires classiques ont été calculées cycle par cycle. La forme des cycles ventilatoires a été étudiée en calculant les asters (représentation vectorielle des quatre premières harmoniques d'une décomposition en série de Fourier de chaque cycle respiratoire) ainsi que les triads (complexe trivarié: volume courant Vt, temps d'inspiration Ti et d'expiration Te). Les asters et triads ont été comparés dans les différentes conditions en utilisant un test statistique multi-varié (test de similarité). Les composantes du spectre de la période cardiaque, les périodes cardiaques moyennes et les coefficients de variation de la période cardiaque ont été calculés à partir des intervalles RR de l'ECG. Les résultats du test de similarité montrent que la forme du cycle ventilatoire de repos est modifiée au cours de l'hyperventilation volontaire, mais que la forme cycle à l'HV est conservée à un an d'intervalle et aussi pour les périodes d'HV des deux tests THV et TVH20. L'hyperventilation volontaire modifie significativement les caractéristiques de la ventilation (variables et forme du cycle). Cependant, au cours de l'hyperventilation volontaire ces caractéristiques sont conservées à un an d'intervalle et il semble que la personnalité ventilatoire de repos ne se conserve pas au cours de l'HV, mais l'on retrouve une personnalité « différente » au cours de l'HV. Les variables ventilatoires et leurs coefficients de variation sont modifiés pendant toutes les périodes des deux tests d'hyperventilation. Les variables ventilatoires du groupe contrôle ne sont significativement différentes du groupe TP qu'au cours des trois premières minutes de récupération. La variabilité cardiaque est significativement modifiée au cours des périodes des tests d'hyperventilation volontaire. La variabilité cardiaque est significativement plus faible chez les patients TP que chez les sujets sains et l'analyse des composantes spectrales de la période cardiaque permet de déduire que les patients semblent présenter au repos et pendant l'HV, une activité cardio-vagale plus faible et une activité sympathique plus élevée que les sujets sains. Les patients TP ont des niveaux plus élevés d'anxiété et de dépression que les sujets du groupe contrôle. Au cours des trois première minutes de récupération après l'hyperventilation volontaire à la fréquence de repos, la ventilation est plus élevée chez les sujets présentant une anxiété élevée que chez ceux présentant une anxiété normale à moyenne. Le nombre de symptômes fonctionnels et produits par l'hyperventilation volontaire est aussi plus élevé chez les sujets présentant une anxiété élevée. / The aim of this research was the evaluation of the ventilatory and cardiovascular effects the voluntary hyperventilation (HV) and psychophysiological peculiarities in healthy subjects and patients with panic disorder. We performed two studies: we recorded the airflow, thoracic and abdominal movements, percent of the CO2 in expired air (FETCO2), electrocardiogram (ECG) in a group of healthy subjects during the two voluntary hyperventilation tests: at rest frequency (THV) and at 20 breaths per minute (THV20). The second study was performed on the healthy subjects (control group) and panic disorder patients (TP): airflow and ECG were recorded and the levels of anxiety (Spielbergher), depression (Beck), stress (Holmes), functional symptoms (Vegetative Profile) and symptoms generated by voluntary hyperventilation were evaluated. The classical respiratory variables were calculated cycle by cycle. The shape of ventylatory cycles were studied by calculation of asters (vectorial representation of the first four harmonics obtained by Fourier transformation of each respiratory cycle) and triads (trivariate complex tidal volume - Vt, inspiratory - Ti and expiratory - Te times). The asters and triads were compared in different conditions using statistical multivariate test (similarity test). The components of heart periods spectre, mean cardiac periods and their variation coefficients were determined from the RR intervals of ECG. The results of the similarity test show the change of respiratory cycle shape during voluntary hyperventilation compared with rest, but the shape of the cycle during HV is conserved during one year interval and between periods of HV of two tests THV and THV20. Voluntary hyperventilation changes significantly ventilatory characteristics (variables and shape of cycle). However, these characteristics are conserved during voluntary hyperventilation after one year interval and the rest ventilatory personality is not conserved during HV, but the different personality appears during HV. Ventilator variables and their variation coefficients are modified during all periods of the two hyperventilation tests. The ventilatory variables of the control group compared with TP group differ only during first three minutes of recovery. Heart rate variability is significantly modified during all periods of hyperventilation test. Heart rate variability is significantly diminished in TP patients compared with healthy subjects and the analysis of spectral components of cardiac period allows affirming a weaker cardio-vagal activity and higher sympathetic activity compared with the healthy subjects. The TP patients compared with control group have higher levels of anxiety and depression. The ventilation during three minutes of recovery after voluntary hyperventilation at rest frequency is higher in subjects with high anxiety level compared with subjects with normal and mean level of anxiety. The number of functional symptoms and symptoms caused by voluntary hyperventilation is also higher in subjects with high anxiety.

Exaggerated cardiovascular reactivity and impaired recovery to psychological stress is independently related to cardiovascular disease (CVD), and may play a causal role in its development. I examined autonomic reactivity and recovery in 136 black, white, and Hispanic women who were predisposed to CVD, as indicated by a positive family history (FH+). Pre-ejection period (PEP; sympathetic) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA; parasympathetic) were measured during public speaking, mental arithmetic, and cold pressor tasks. Overall, FH+ participants exhibited greater RSA reactivity, while black participants exhibited impaired RSA recovery. These findings suggest that a hereditary predisposition for CVD is related to altered autonomic reactivity before any differences in resting levels are observed. Further, black participants did not exhibit a RSA rebound after the stress tasks, a key component in buffering the damaging effects of exaggerated sympathetic reactivity. These findings demonstrate the importance of examining parasympathetic activity in addition to sympathetic reactivity measures.

To determine whether children with selective mutism (SM) withhold speech to regulate their emotional arousal and decrease automatic distress, the current study examines the behavioral and physiological responses of children with SM in comparison to children with social phobia (SP) and children with no psychiatric disorder (TD) as they participate in two social situations. A single case design strategy is used to compare behavioral and physiological responses both within and across groups. Examining the temporal sequencing of behaviors and physiology provides a direct test of the utility of emotion regulation theory as it pertains to children with social phobia/selective mutism. The results indicate that children with SM show elevated arousal and emotional reactivity across all interaction segments relative to other children. Unique affective, behavioral and physiological responses occur between and within groups in relation to situational demands. The temporal sequencing of behavioral and physiological responses suggests that behavioral deficits may be related to underutilized and/or deficient physiological response systems and that not speaking represents a primitive avoidance strategy by children with SM to regulate extreme physiological arousal.

Gross' emotion regulation model, Porges' polyvagal theory, and other existing research suggest that regulation of emotions, tactics used to handle conflict, and certain physiological processes that occur within the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in response to stress are significantly related, especially in relational contexts. However, despite their pervasiveness and negative impacts, there is a noticeable lack of research on predictors of violent, aggressive, or abusive conflict tactics in couples. In the current study, the predictive role of emotion regulation in relation to conflict tactics was examined, in addition to the role of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and pre-ejection period (PEP) as mediators for these variables. Thirty-eight participants (19 couples) completed self-report measures of emotion regulation and conflict tactics, and RSA and PEP were measured during a three-minute baseline and 20-minute conflict discussion. Results showed no significant relationships between emotion regulation and conflict tactics, and no significant relationships between these variables and RSA or PEP were found. These findings may suggest that other variables aside from measures of ANS activity better explain the relationship between emotional and behavioral regulation skills, though additional research is necessary to confirm these findings. Clinical implications of this research point to the exploration of other contributors to violence and aggression aside from poor emotion regulation as it was measured in this study. Future research may benefit from investigating the impact of other variables such as sleep and exercise on ANS reactivity in relation to the use of maladaptive conflict tactics in married couples.