Stephen W. Porges (*
1945
1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which nuclear weapons have been used in combat.
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
Januar ...
) is an American
psychologist
A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how indi ...
and
neuroscientist
A neuroscientist (or neurobiologist) is a scientist who has specialised knowledge in neuroscience, a branch of biology that deals with the physiology, biochemistry, psychology, anatomy and molecular biology of neurons, Biological neural network, n ...
. He is the Professor of Psychiatry at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
. Porges is also currently Director of the Kinsey Institute Traumatic Stress Research Consortium at
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana University and, with ...
, which studies
trauma
Trauma most often refers to:
* Major trauma, in physical medicine, severe physical injury caused by an external source
* Psychological trauma, a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a severely distressing event
*Traumatic i ...
. He was previously a professor at the
University of Illinois
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...
, Chicago, where he was director of the Brain-Body Center at the College of Medicine, and at the University of Maryland. He proposed the unproven
polyvagal theory
Polyvagal theory (''poly-'' "many" + ''vagal'' "wandering") is a collection of unproven, evolutionary, neuroscientific, and psychological constructs pertaining to the role of the vagus nerve in emotion regulation, social connection and fear respo ...
in 1994.
He is today a
neuroscientist
A neuroscientist (or neurobiologist) is a scientist who has specialised knowledge in neuroscience, a branch of biology that deals with the physiology, biochemistry, psychology, anatomy and molecular biology of neurons, Biological neural network, n ...
with particular interests in
cranial nerve responses as it relates to both animals and man in which there are specified responses that are physiological in the body.
Research Focus
Polyvagal theory is a collection of unproven evolutionary, neuroscientific, and psychological constructs pertaining to the role of the
vagus nerve
The vagus nerve, also known as the tenth cranial nerve, cranial nerve X, or simply CN X, is a cranial nerve that interfaces with the parasympathetic control of the heart, lungs, and digestive tract. It comprises two nerves—the left and right ...
in emotion regulation, social connection and fear response. It focuses on the autonomic antecedents of behavior, including an appreciation of the
autonomic nervous system
The autonomic nervous system (ANS), formerly referred to as the vegetative nervous system, is a division of the peripheral nervous system that supplies viscera, internal organs, smooth muscle and glands. The autonomic nervous system is a control ...
as a system, the identification of neural circuits involved in the regulation of autonomic states, and the interpretation of autonomic reactivity as adaptive within the context of the phylogeny of the vertebrate
autonomic nervous system
The autonomic nervous system (ANS), formerly referred to as the vegetative nervous system, is a division of the peripheral nervous system that supplies viscera, internal organs, smooth muscle and glands. The autonomic nervous system is a control ...
. Foremost, the polyvagal perspective emphasizes the importance of phylogenetic changes in the neural structures regulating the
heart
The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide t ...
[Porges, S.W. (2007). The Polyvagal Perspective. Biological Psychology, 74, 116–143.] and phylogenetic shifts providing insight into the adaptive function of both
physiology
Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...
and
behavior
Behavior (American English) or behaviour (British English) is the range of actions and mannerisms made by individuals, organisms, systems or artificial entities in some environment. These systems can include other systems or organisms as wel ...
. The theory emphasizes the phylogenetic emergence of two vagal systems: a potentially lethal ancient brain and cord circuits involved in defensive strategies of immobilization (e.g., fainting, freezing, fighting) including
dissociative states.
Polyvagal responses provided a new conceptualization of the autonomic nervous system that emphasize neurophysiological mechanisms and phylogenetic shifts in the neural regulation of the psychological responses from the
cranial nerves
Cranial nerves are the nerves that emerge directly from the brain (including the brainstem), of which there are conventionally considered twelve pairs. Cranial nerves relay information between the brain and parts of the body, primarily to and f ...
to the spine,
spinal cord
The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular structure made up of nervous tissue, which extends from the medulla oblongata in the brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column (backbone). The backbone encloses the central canal of the spi ...
and lower aspects of the
mammalian brain
A brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as vision. It is the most complex organ in a v ...
.
He is a former president of the Society for
Psychophysiological
Psychophysiology (from Greek , ''psȳkhē'', "breath, life, soul"; , ''physis'', "nature, origin"; and , '' -logia'') is the branch of psychology that is concerned with the physiological bases of psychological processes. While psychophysiology w ...
Research and has been president of the Federation of Behavioral, Psychological and Cognitive Sciences (now called the
Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences
The Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences (abbreviated FABBS) is a Washington, D.C.-based coalition of learned societies dedicated to psychology and related behavioral sciences. Its official journal is ''Policy Insights from t ...
), a consortium of societies representing approximately twenty-thousand
biobehavioral scientists.
He was a recipient of a
National Institute of Mental Health
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is one of 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH, in turn, is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and is the prima ...
Research Scientist Development award. He has chaired the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, maternal and child health research committee and was a visiting scientist in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Laboratory of Comparative Ethology.
Professional societies
* Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research
* American Psychological Association
* Association for Psychological Science
* International Society for Infant Studies
* Society for Psychophysiological Research
* Society for Research in Child Development
* International Behavioral Neuroscience Society
Editorial duties
*
''Psychophysiology'' (1983–1987)
* ''
Infant Behavior and Development
''Infant Behavior and Development'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed scientific journal covering developmental psychology in infants. It was established in 1978 and is published by Elsevier. The editor-in-chief is Martha E. Arterberry (Colby College ...
'' (1977–1992)
*
''Child Development''
* ''
Developmental Psychobiology
Developmental psychobiology is an interdisciplinary field, encompassing developmental psychology, biological psychology, neuroscience and many other areas of biology. The field covers all phases of ontogeny, with particular emphasis on prenatal, p ...
'' (1985–1991, 1995–1999)
* ''
Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology
The ''Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology'' () provides a forum for the presentation of conceptual, methodological, policy, and research studies involved in the application of behavioral science research in developmental
Development of ...
'' (1993–1998)
* ''
Developmental Review
''Developmental Review'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal which publishes review articles in the field of developmental psychology. Presenting research that bears on important conceptual issues in developmental psychology, Developmenta ...
'' (2000–2006)
Selected works
* Porges SW. (1992). Vagal Tone: A physiological marker of stress vulnerability. ''Pediatrics'' 90:498–504.
* Porges SW. (1995). Cardiac vagal tone: A physiological index of stress. ''Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews'' 19:225–233.
* Porges SW. (1995). Orienting in a defensive world: Mammalian modifications of our evolutionary heritage. A Polyvagal Theory. ''Psychophysiology'' 32:301–318.
* Porges SW. (1996). Physiological regulation in high-risk infants: A model for assessment and potential intervention. ''Development and Psychopathology'' 8:43–58.
* Porges SW. (1998). Love: An emergent property of the mammalian autonomic nervous system. ''Psychoneuroendocrinology'' 23:837–861.
* Porges SW. (2001). The Polyvagal Theory: Phylogenetic substrates of a social nervous system. ''International Journal of Psychophysiology'' 42:123–146.
* Porges SW. (2003). The Polyvagal Theory: Phylogenetic contributions to social behavior. ''Physiology and Behavior'' 79:503–513.
* Porges SW. (2003). Social engagement and attachment: A phylogenetic perspective. Roots of Mental Illness in Children, ''Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences'' 1008:31–47.
* Porges SW. (2004). Neuroception: A subconscious system for detecting threat and safety. Zero to Three: ''Bulletin of the National Center for Clinical Infant Programs'' 24:5,19–24.
* Porges SW. (2005). The vagus: A mediator of behavioral and visceral features associated with autism. In ML Bauman and TL Kemper, eds. ''The Neurobiology of Autism''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 65–78.
* Porges SW. (2006). Asserting the role of biobehavioral sciences in translational research: The behavioral neurobiology revolution. ''Developmental Psychopathology'' 18:923–933.
* Porges SW. (2007). The polyvagal perspective. ''Biological Psychology'' 74:116–143.
* Porges SW. (2009). The polyvagal theory: New insights into adaptive reactions of the autonomic nervous system. ''Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine'', 76:S86–90.
* Porges SW. (2009). Reciprocal influences between body and brain in the perception and expression of affect: A polyvagal perspective. In D Fosha, D Siegel, and M Solomon, eds. ''The Healing Power of Emotion: Affective Neuroscience, Development, and Clinical Practice''. New York: Norton, 27–54.
* Porges SW, Lewis GF. (2009). The polyvagal hypothesis: Common mechanisms mediating autonomic regulation, vocalizations, and listening. In SM Brudzynski, ed. ''Handbook of Mammalian Vocalizations: An Integrative Neuroscience Approach''. Amsterdam: Academic Press, 255–264.
* Porges SW, Furman SA. (2011). The early development of the autonomic nervous system provides a neural platform for social behavior: A polyvagal perspective. ''Infant and Child Development'' 20:106–118.
* Porges SW, Carter CS. (2011). Neurobiology and evolution: Mechanisms, mediators, and adaptive consequences of caregiving. In SL Brown, RM Brown, and LA Penner, eds. ''Self Interest and Beyond: Toward a New Understanding of Human Caregiving''. New York: Oxford University Press, 53–71.
* Heilman KJ, Harden E., Zageris D, Berry-Kravis E, Porges SW (2011). Autonomic regulation in Fragile X Syndrome. ''Developmental Psychobiology'' 53:785–795.
* Heilman KJ, Connolly SD, Padilla WO, Wrzosek MI, Graczyk PA, Porges SW (2012). Sluggish vagal brake reactivity to physical challenge in children with selective mutism. ''Development and Psychopathology'', 24: 241–250.
* Porges SW, Macellaio M, Stanfill SD, McCue K, Lewis GF, Harden ER, Handelman M, Denver J, Bazhenova OV, Heilman KJ. (2013). Respiratory sinus arrhythmia and auditory processing in autism: Modifiable deficits of an integrated social engagement system? ''International Journal of Psychophysiology'' 88: 261–270.
* Heilman KJ, Harden ER, Weber KM, Cohen M, Porges SW. (2013). Atypical autonomic regulation, auditory processing, and affect recognition in women with HIV. ''Biological Psychology'' 94:143–151.
* Williamson JB, Heilman KM, Porges EC, Lamb DG, Porges SW (2013). Possible mechanism for PTSD symptoms in patients with traumatic brain injury: central autonomic network disruption. ''Frontiers in Neuroengineering''.
* Carter CS, Porges SW. (2013). The biochemistry of love: an oxytocin hypothesis. ''EMBO Reports''. 2013 Jan 3;14(1):12–16. . Epub 2012 Nov 27.
Books
* Porges SW, Coles MGH, eds. (1976). Psychophysiology. Stroudsburg, PA: Dowden, Hutchinson & Ross.
* Coles MGH, Donchin E, Porges SW, eds. (1986). Psychophysiology: Systems, Processes & Applications. New York: Guilford.
* Carter CS, Ahnert L, Grossmann K, Hrdy SB, Lamb ME, Porges SW, Sachser N, eds. (2005) Attachment and Bonding: A New Synthesis. Cambridge: MIT Press.
* Porges SW, Dominguez-Trejo B, Martinez AC. (2005). La Teoria Polivagal. Mexico, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Comision Nacional de los Derechos Humanos.
* Porges SW (2010). Die Polyvagal-Theorie: Neurophysiologische Grundlagen der Therapie. Paderborn, Germany: Junfermann Verlag.
* Porges SW (2011). The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-regulation. New York: WW Norton.
* Porges SW (2017). Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory – The Transformative Power of Feeling Safe. WW Norton & Co.
* Porges SW (2021). Polyvagal Safety: Attachment, Communication, Self-Regulation. New York: W. W. Norton & Company
References
External links
Stephen Porges web page*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Porges, Stephen
American psychologists
Living people
1945 births
University of Illinois Chicago faculty
Michigan State University alumni