Sluggish vagal brake reactivity to physical exercise challenge in children with selective mutism. Dev Psychopathol 2012 Feb;24(1):241-50
Date
02/02/2012Pubmed ID
22293007DOI
10.1017/S0954579411000800Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84856637739 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 23 CitationsAbstract
Cardiovascular response patterns to laboratory-based social and physical exercise challenges were evaluated in 69 children and adolescents, 20 with selective mutism (SM), to identify possible neurophysiological mechanisms that may mediate the behavioral features of SM. Results suggest that SM is associated with a dampened response of the vagal brake to physical exercise that is manifested as reduced reactivity in heart rate and respiration. Polyvagal theory proposes that the regulation of the vagal brake is a neurophysiological component of an integrated social engagement system that includes the neural regulation of the laryngeal and pharyngeal muscles. Within this theoretical framework, sluggish vagal brake reactivity may parallel an inability to recruit efficiently the structures involved in speech. Thus, the findings suggest that dampened autonomic reactivity during mobilization behaviors may be a biomarker of SM that can be assessed independent of the social stimuli that elicit mutism.
Author List
Heilman KJ, Connolly SD, Padilla WO, Wrzosek MI, Graczyk PA, Porges SWAuthor
Marika Inga Wrzosek MD Associate Professor in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdolescentAutonomic Nervous System
Child
Child, Preschool
Exercise
Female
Heart Rate
Humans
Male
Mutism
Respiration
Vagus Nerve
