Vol 42, No 5 (2016)

Considering evidence from psychological research, successful aging is accompanied by long-term preservation of creative potential despite slowing of mental processes; however, the neurophysiological mechanisms that ensure the maintenance of those abilities are unclear. In this study, we compared temporal dynamics of changes induced by divergent task electrical activity (event-related spectral perturbations, ERSP) in a wide range of EEG frequencies in the younger (YA, N = 80, 22.6 ± 3 years) and older (OA, N = 80, 63.4 ± 6.7 years) age groups. The groups were sex-matched. EEG was recorded while participants performed the “alternate uses task”. The time ranges 200–400, 400–600 and 600–800 ms after stimulus presentation were analyzed. It was found that task performance was associated with distinct patterns of ERSP changes in the θ and α₃ rhythms in young and elderly subjects. The elderly subjects exhibited smaller θ-desyn-chronization of anterior brain areas at the initial stage of creative thinking as compared to young participants. The gradient of fronto-parietal activation was unchanged during the entire interval of analysis in the elderly subjects, whereas it was observed in young adults in the interval 200–400 ms only. Decrease in desynchronization of the parieto-occipital area in the α₃ rhythm in the interval 600–800 ms in elderly subjects was revealed, and it resulted in disappearance of differences between parietal and fronto-temporal areas, while they were preserved in the young group. Significant correlations between ERSP in the α₃ band and originality, in the β₁ band and solution rate were obtained in old adults exclusively. Identified age-related changes in oscillatory activity may be the basis of different strategies in solving creative task in young and elderly adults.

The study analyzed auditory event-related potentials (ERPs) in 37 healthy right-handed subjects without any neurological or psychiatric disorders. Young age group consisted of 18 persons aged from 10 to 27; advanced age group included 19 persons aged from 32 to 59 years. ERPs were recorded from 32 scalp electrodes according to 10–20 System. Two-tones oddball paradigm including standard and target tones was used for ERP-recording. The sound sequence was given to examinees without any preliminary instruction. Complex psychology testing included Stroop Color and Word Test and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Significantly larger amplitude of N200 was detected in young subjects compared to advanced age ones. Wavelet-analysis revealed stronger wavelet-connections in the frontal–central area on the time range of P300 in in advanced age examinees vs. young ones. The correlation of the data of psychological tests examining the executive functions was detected with latency of P300 in young examinees and with amplitude of P300 in advanced age ones. Obtained data suggest that switching from one activity to another is prevalent in young persons and focusing on a current activity in advances age persons.

Biederman et al. [1, 2] have shown that the priming effect does not depend on the difference between the angular sizes of the test stimulus and the primer. However, these two and other similar studies investigated only a small range of the angular sizes of stimuli. Vakhrameeva et al. [3] have shown that there exist two perceptionally different size ranges: perception of the objects with an angular size varying between 1–1.5 and 50 degrees was found to be invariant, but for the objects whose angular size is less than 1–1.5 degrees, their perception is no longer invariant. In this study, the presence of the priming effect has been investigated in the match-to-sample task with such a difference in the angular sizes of the primer and test stimuli that the sizes of the primer (about 4 degrees) and the test stimulus (about 0.5 degrees) belonged to two different size ranges. The sample stimulus was presented with and without noise superposition. It has been shown that the priming effect is suppressed when the size difference between the primer and the test stimulus is large. A congruent primer can have a positive impact on the recognition of the test objects, but this occurs under the viewing conditions complicated by noise superposition.

An echocardiographic study of 190 subjects in the second period of adult age (108 women and 82 men) has been conducted. The absolute and relative sizes of the left ventricle (LV), left atrium (LA), right ventricle (RV), myocardium mass, and LV mass index were determined. Morphological changes in the heart detected by echocardiography (EchoCG) depended on the geometric configuration of the LV. The size of the RV was significantly increased in women with hypertrophy of the myocardium of the LV. All the EchoCG parameters with the exception of relative wall thickness (RWT) were gender-dependent. The gender-dependent differences in LV remodeling included higher values of LV mass index in men, different dynamics of the LV mass index (LVMI) in subjects with different geometric configurations of the LV, and more pronounced elevation of the index in women with eccentric hypertrophy of the LV (LV EG), in particular. The functional capacity of the heart was lower in men than in women.

According to the results of the experiment performed on board the International Space Station with participation of 15 Russian cosmonauts, comparative analysis of efficacy of two models of preventive measures used by the Russian members of long-term space missions is carried out: intense interval training in the aerobic–anaerobic power zone (recommended model) and continuous low-intensity exercises in the aerobic power zone of muscle activity energy supply. Interval training in space flight provided the maintenance of the level of physical performance close to the pre-flight level as indicated by the maximum running speed, physiological value of work, and the lactate level after performing the standard load. We describe putative mechanisms of counteraction to adaptive rearrangement of the propulsion system in zero gravity and expand understanding of the laws governing human body’s interaction with Earth’s gravitational field. The research results presented in this paper show the high preventive efficacy of interval training compared with regular aerobic training, which is very important now in the time of searching for means and methods of prevention of hypogravitational alterations during interplanetary missions.

We studied the concentration of antibodies (ABs) to the regulatory proteins of the nervous tissue revealed in the blood serum of healthy men working for a long period of time and of the patients suffering from the vibration-induced disease (VID). A characteristic feature of autoimmune response development in workers who are exposed to vibration for an extensive period of time is the decline in ABs against virtually all examined antigens (AGs), which indicates an overall reduction of immune reactivity in relation to nervous tissue proteins. At the same time, we discovered characteristic changes in certain AB concentrations, both in the spectrum and in the intensity, depending on the severity of a pathologic process. Changes in the AB concentration in long-term workers who do not exhibit signs of any health conditions induced by vibration may indicate nascent changes in the specialized structure of nervous tissue; for VID patients, the presence of changes in the levels of ABs may reflect continuous neuro-destructive processes in nervous tissue.

Circadian disturbances related to Parkinson’s disease are reviewed, and possible pathogenetic mechanisms are discussed. The role of dopaminergic system degeneration in the development of circadian dysfunction is emphasized. The accumulation of α-synuclein in the suprachiasmatic nucleus is considered as a possible mechanism of circadian dysfunction unrelated to dopamine deficiency. Data on the disbalance of dopamine and melatonin levels in Parkinson’s disease patients and its role in disturbances of circadian rhythms of physiological processes are analyzed.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) of the central nervous system (CNS) is a physiological barrier that makes it possible to control the exchange of ions, molecules and cells between blood and brain tissue and prevent their free inflow into the brain. BBB is crucial for maintenance of brain homeostasis. The BBB damage accompanies many degenerative, neurological and inflammatory (infectious or noninfectious) diseases and pathological states. Current review reports about the BBB role in the development of childhood febrile seizures and temporal lobe epilepsy.