Peculiarities of Brain Hemodynamics and Heart Rhythm Variability in Young Men in Performing Modeled Cognitive Activity with Unequal Effectiveness

INTRODUCTION: Purposeful cognitive brain activity of an individual depends on blood supply to the cells of the cerebral cortex (CC), and on their autonomic innervation.

AIM: To identify peculiarities of the brain hemodynamics and heart rhythm variability (HRV) in young men performing cognitive tasks with unequal effectiveness.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study involved 42 practically healthy young men (mean age 19.40 ± 1.20 years). The brain hemodynamics was studied using Reo-Spektr-2 rheograph (Neurosoft, Russia) in the initial condition of relative rest and in modeled purposeful cognitive activity. Synchronously with record of rheoencephalogram, rhythmocardiogram was recorded using Varicard 2.51 hardware-software complex (Ramena, Russia). Purposeful cognitive activity was modeled in Physiotest program for psychophysiological studies with use of behavioral model: Schulte Table Test in a two-color Schulte–Gorbov modification. In statistical data processing, cluster and correlation analyses were used.

RESULTS: Based on the effectiveness of Schulte–Gorbov Table Test, the sample of subjects was divided to two clusters (n = 28 and n = 14). Comparison of clusters in the initial condition of relative physiological rest and during cognitive activity revealed differences in rheoencephalographic parameters, which reflects unequal hemodynamic supply of the brain in representatives of the given clusters. Differences in HRV parameter were found reflecting the different levels of tension of adaptation mechanisms in the initial condition and in cognitive activity. The results of the correlation analysis demonstrated different dependence between the parameters of rheoencephalogram, HRV and parameters of the effectiveness of Schulte-Gorbov Test in representatives of different clusters.

CONCLUSIONS: (1) ‘High-effective’ subjects are characterized by shorter time of propagation of the rheographic wave and longer time of slow blood filling of the right vertebral artery basin, and by higher rheographic index asymmetry coefficient in the basin of the left internal carotid artery and of vertebral arteries of both hemispheres during cognitive activity compared to ‘low-effective’ subjects. (2) Physiological support of purposeful activity of an individual with unequal effectiveness of salvation of cognitive tasks is characterized not only by different levels of brain hemodynamics and activity of autonomic regulatory mechanisms, but also by certain type of correlation relationships of these parameters with parameters of purposeful behavior, in particular, with the total time of fulfilment of the task and efficiency coefficient.