Autonomic nervous system antedating response signifi cance in the apparently healthy students under conditions of cognitive load

I n t r o d u c t i o n . Anticipating regulatory mechanisms allow a person to more effectively adapt to the impact of environmental factors with the formation of an optimal response structure.
A i m . To reveal the features of the antedating response of the autonomic nervous system under conditions of cognitive load in apparently healthy students.

M a t e r i a l s  a n d  m e t h o d s . The study involved 30 medical university students aged 18–19 years. The partici- pants were divided into two groups (15 people in each). In group 1, the semantic verbal fl uency test was used as a load, in group 2 – the Intelligence Structure Test (IST) by Amthauer. RR intervals in the examined young men were recorded under control and load conditions. The indicators of heart rate variability (HRV) were assessed – RRNN, TP, HF, LF, VLF.

R e s u l t s . Analysis of HRV in group 1 revealed that after exercise, RRNN, TP, HF, and LF indicators signifi cantly decreased; in group 2, after exercise, TP and LF indicators signifi cantly increased relative to control values. Using correlation analysis, we revealed diff erences between the HRV indicators at the time of preparation for the cognitive test between the studied groups. In group 1, unlike group 2, there was no correlation between RRNN and HF, TP and LF, HF and LF, LF and VLF. After the test in group 1, a signifi cant positive correlation was found between RRNN and HF. In group 2, the correlation relationships between the RRNN and LF indicators were determined, the interaction between HF and LF increased, there were no correlation between the LF and VLF indicators. Diff erences between the HRV indicators at the time of preparation for the cognitive test showed that the anticipation of the upcoming examination determines the response of the HRV regulatory mechanisms to the action of the load.

C o n c l u s i o n . Diff erent variants of cognitive loads contribute to changes in the activity of the autonomic nervous system in the regulation of HRV. The nature of these changes depends on the initial level of regulatory capabilities of HRV, which determine the antedating response to the cognitive load. 

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