Original article
UDC 159.91+159.99+612.821
PARAMETERS OF SIMPLE AUDIO-MOTOR REACTION
AS ONE OF POSSIBLE INDICATORS OF THE CENTRAL
NERVOUS SYSTEM SENSITIVITY TO COSMOPHYSICAL
FACTORS: GLOBAL AND LOCAL EFFECTS
N. I. Khorseva1,2, P. Ye. Grigoryev3,
G.V. Kilessa4, N. M. Ovsyannikova3,
A. V. Glivenko3, S. V. Pobachenko5,
M. V. Sokolov5
Abstract
For the first time an analysis of simple audio-motor reaction
(reaction time, the number of missed and delayed reactions) in
individuals living in different latitudinal and longitudinal regions
of Russia and Ukraine was carried out. During of magnetic storm
main phase, a statistically significant (p <0.01) increase in reaction
time across the array of collected data (440 respondents) is
observed. A similar increase in reaction time is observed locally (p
<0.05). Changes in the number of delayed and missed reactions
are less obvious, thus, these effects require further investigation.
1
Federal State Institution of Science
"Institute of Biochemical Physics
named by N.M. Emanuel of Russian
Academy of Sciences", Moscow,
Russia; 2 Federal State Institution of
Science "Space Research Institute
of Russian Academy of Sciences",
Moscow, Russia; 3 State Institution
“Crimean State Medical University
named by S.I. Georgiyevskiy”;
Simferopol, Ukraine; 4 Tavrida
National University named by
V.I.
Vernadskiy;
Simferopol,
Ukraine; 5 National Research Tomsk
State University; Tomsk, Russia.
Correspondence:
5/7, Lenin Avenue,
Simferopol, 95006, Ukraine.
e-mail: [email protected]
Keywords: simple audio-motor reaction, delayed reactions, missed reactions, cosmophysical
factors, magnetic disturbances, local and global effects.
It is established that cosmophysical factors may have
an impact on the human organism. The greatest number of
publications is related to the physiological response of the
cardiovascular system to the cosmophysical factors, and
studies on the reactions of central nervous system using
different psychophysiological parameters are not large. It is
also difficult to systematize them because of the differences
in the methodical and methodological approach. However,
an attempt to classify them is made in the review [12].
The aim of this research: to find out dynamics
patterns of parameters of a simple auditory-motor
response (SAMR) in individuals living in different
regions as functions of the cosmophysical factors.
It should be noted that parameters of SAMR
were chosen having in view that in a number of pilot
experiments conducted previously it was shown that the
parameters of SAMR are the most labile in comparison
to other psychophysiological parameters [2-5, 11]. In
addition, it was found that the time of SAMR increases
both during increase and decrease of geomagnetic
activity [3] and has significant fluctuations around
the dates of geomagnetic "calm" and Solar flares [2].
In the present research, we analyzed only the
parameters of SAMR around the dates of geomagnetic
disturbances. In addition, unlike to previous studies,
along with the response time of SAMR two more
parameters would be considered that were not previously
taken into consideration: the numbers of missed and
delayed reactions. They were included into consideration
according to the results of analysis of the dynamics of
the response time upon presentation of an audio signal.
Determination of the parameters of individual and
group sensitivity to the changeable environmental factors
(ecological, meteorological, cosmophysical etc.) requires
the long-term regular registration of parameters of the
functional human condition. Therefore, at the next stage of
our research after the pilot observations, a comprehensive
monitoring measurements of parameters (reaction time,
the number of delayed or missed events) were organized
and conducted, with the help of software products
found on the web-site www.umon.org.ua (“Universal
monitoring of the environmental human health”), and
the computer program "Local universal monitoring» –
LUM (Reg. N 2012660066 from 08.11.2012 y., Russian
Federation), located at http://www.medfi.org.ua/umon.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
In pilot experiments for the registration of SAMR the
program «Beep-test» developed by N.I. Khorseva was
used. An important requirement for the stability of the test
was to establish the maximum possible volume level on
the computer. After each beeping, the program checked
the delay between beeping and key stroke. The number of
presentations was equal to 20 – this is the optimal number of
presentations, which is used in the professional diagnostic
equipment [10]. It was established that during the test
respondents sometimes miss a beep (i.e. do not press the
button afterwards), or press the button after significant delay.
7
Crimean Journal of Experimental and Clinical Medicine 2013 Volume 3 N 1-2
Crimea, the Moscow Region and the city of Arkhangelsk.
Systematic monitoring studies organized since 2010. The
study involved 295 respondents (people from different
regions of Russia and Ukraine). Dynamics of the parameters
of SAMR was analyzed around the dates of planetary
geomagnetic disturbances and storms (for which information
is obtained from the site http://www.izmiran.ru/services/
Initially, these errors were considered as random. However,
after consideration the results of number of respondents,
it was found that such errors are systemic, although quite
rare. Therefore, the parameters of missed and delayed
reactions have been taken into account in the present study.
Pilot experiments were conducted in the period 20072010, with the participation of 72 volunteers living in the
Fig. 1. Dynamics of the response time to beep for the entire
set of data (A), during the pilot experiments in the Crimea,
the Moscow region and Arkhangelsk (B and C, respectively),
in the Crimea and Tomsk using LUM software (D and E,
respectively).
saf/archive/), using the method of superposed epochs.
Statistical analysis of data was carried out
using the Language of Technical Computing
MATLAB
(S/N
1293-0415-9995-9609-9701).
Change in the number of delayed and missed reactions
is not so unequivocal. On whole dataset the most prominent
changes were found on the second day before the dates of
geomagnetic disturbances, whereas for the certain regions
this pattern is different. The number of missed reactions
for the Moscow region and the city of Arkhangelsk
increases during the days of geomagnetic disturbances,
and for individuals residing in the Republic of Crimea –
on the contrary, the downward trend. For the number of
delayed reactions there are more similar trends: for the
Moscow region and the city of Arkhangelsk – it’s the
first day after the start of geomagnetic disturbance and
for the residents of the Crimea on the day of the start of
geomagnetic disturbance (day zero). It is possible that
the discrepancy in the data is of a regional character, so
the investigation of these effects requires a further study.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Fig. 1 shows the changes of SAMR parameters
around the dates of geomagnetic disturbances for
all data (440 respondents) and for the local samples.
It is seen that in the beginning of magnetic storm
mail phase a statistically significant (p < 0.01) increase
in the time of SAMR is observed for the whole data
set. The same tendency is observed for the local
observations independently. In particular, it was found
that between the time of SAMR and Kp-index for the
Moscow region and the city of Arkhangelsk there is
a statistically significant correlation (p <0.05) [11].
8
Original article
CONCLUSIONS
// Geophysical Processes and Biosphere. – 2008. –
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Sudak, Crimea, Ukraine, 1-6 October 2007. Proceedings
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12. Khorseva N.I. Possibility of usage of psychophysiological
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13. Integrative approach to the study of influence of
cosmophysical factors on the functional state of human:
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Vol. 2. – P. 756-768. [Published in Russian].
For the first time it was shown that during geomagnetic
disturbances a response time to sound increases in
individuals residing in different regions. This effect can be
used to predict the physiological response of the organism,
especially for individuals who deal with extreme situations
and operator activity. However, only the individual
observations can assess the risk of appearance of a particular
physiological response for the concrete individual.
The research was supported grant of the
Federal Target Program «Research and scientificpedagogical personnel of innovative Russia in
2009-2013.»
Agreement
N
14.B37.21.0856.
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