In this review we discuss the effects of exercise on systemic inflammation. The influence of moderate continuous training on humoral immunity and cellular immunity is separately considered. Recent data on the molecular mechanisms of this influence, such as myokines secreted by skeletal muscles and adipokines secreted by adipocytes, are discussed. Clinical data are provided on the effect of moderate physical activity on common diseases — cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and others.
Behavioral data (correct response latency and errors number increase) indicate a significant decrease in the task performance efficiency in patients with the first episode of schizophrenia, compared to the norm. At the same time the SNP 1, 2, 3 amplitudes were found to enhance in the patients group, compared to the norm, which may reflect a compensatory activation of predictive attention and inhibition cortical networks for increase the response efficiency. Intergroup differences in the topography of the SNP1 and SNP2 peaks amplitude suggest “disorganization” of the left hemisphere cognitive control cortical networks at the early stage of schizophrenia. It is assumed that the SNP 1, 2, 3 components can be considered as potentially significant clinically markers of cognitive control disorders in schizophrenia.
The localization of start and turning points in rhythmic sound movement created through the modeling of binaural beats (BBs) was investigated. The BB-modeling broadband stimuli consisted of stationary initial and final segments with a section of cyclic motion between them. Spatial effects were induced by changes in the interaural time difference (ITD). During the experiment, subjects assessed the position of the movement trajectory ends or the position of reference points using a graphic tablet. It was discovered that the perception of rhythmic movement of the sound image was significantly influenced by the integrative ability of the binaural auditory system. The results indicated that with instantaneous switching between stationary segments, the perceived positions of the trajectory ends (start point and turning point) matched the positions of the reference points. Conversely, the smooth movement between the same extreme values showed a displacement of the trajectory ends: the turning points were localized further from the reference points compared to the start points, at all trajectory positions in space. Localization of the trajectory end crucially depended on the time that the sound had stayed near the turning point. These patterns were expressed stronger in the central area of the acoustic space compared to the periphery.
The studies of the astronauts’ vision show that after space flight various changes can occur in the visual system: flattening of the eyeball, optic disc edema, hyperopic refractive shift, and others. The mechanisms of those changes are being actively studied. Among model experiments simulating aggressive factors of space flight, experiments on modeling microgravity in conditions of “dry” immersion seem to be one of the most promising in terms of studying eye changes. The aim: to evaluate the prospects of using “dry” immersion as a model for studying intraocular changes in space flight conditions. The paper presents data on the evaluation of the eye condition of the test subjects after being in the immersion bath for 5 days (10 subjects) and 21 days (6 subjects). Refraction and dynamic accommodation were evaluated in all subjects using an autorefkeratometer Righton Speedy-i k-model with dynamic accommodation assessment function. The refraction data showed a trend toward a positive refractive shift of 0.11 diopters on average for 5 days of immersion (confidence interval (–0.06)–(+0.28)) and 0.29 diopters for 21 days of immersion (c.i. (–0.28)–(+0.86)); no statistical significance of the differences was confirmed, which may be due to the small number of subjects and the limited power of the statistical criterion. However, the trend requires further investigation. A significant individual variation was shown in the results of accommodation assessment. Preliminary data suggest that “dry” immersion may be a promising model for studying the effects of reduced gravity on the human visual system. Further studies are needed.
The article considers some psychophysiological mechanisms of the impact of speleoclimate on the human body. The mechanisms of increasing the reserves of the human neuroimmunoendocrine system as a result of a 10-day course of speleotherapy were revealed. Under the influence of speleoclimate, the content of T-lymphocytes, T-helpers, T-cytotoxic lymphocytes increased, an increase in early and late activation of T-lymphocytes and T-regulatory cells, an increase in the number of B-cells and NK cells with the CD3-CD16-CD56+ phenotype; the frequency of occurrence of epithelial cells of the oral cavity with nuclear aberrations decreased. It is noted that the influence of the speleoclimate on the human body is mainly limited by intrasystemic influences, affecting the regulatory system at the level of vagosympathetic interaction. It was revealed that the course of speleotherapy improves the speed of the visual signal, the speed of primary processing of information and the speed of analysis of visual information in terms of the parameters of the sEP. The mechanisms of influence of speleotherapy on the neuroimmunoendocrine system are determined by the initial psychophysiological state of a person. Under the influence of speleotherapy, the vegetative status is restored.
The paper presents an analysis of changes in postural stability when a person is presented with a video sequence in a virtual reality helmet and from a TV screen. Postural stability was assessed using a computer stabilometer complex. Changes in the stabilometric indicators compared with control tests (before viewing) were shown for both cases (watching videos on the screen and in a virtual reality helmet). Besides, viewing a video sequence in a virtual reality helmet had a greater impact on the instability. While watching a video from a TV screen and in a virtual reality helmet, the contribution of visual information to maintaining balance in the sagittal plane decreased. However, while watching from the TV screen, the contribution of vestibular information for posture control increased. When viewed with virtual reality helmet, the contribution of somatosensory information and the cerebellum increased. The results may suggest that virtual reality requires more conscious corrective mechanisms to stabilize posture.
Proprioception makes an important contribution to the regulation of speed, strength, and spatial parameters of movements, determining the level of proficiency in motor skills. However, the effectiveness of various training approaches in relation to voluntary proprioceptive control of target muscles has not been sufficiently studied. In this paper, we investigated the effectiveness of three types of manipulative training: (1) fine coordination, (2) discrete muscle relaxation and (3) their combinations in relation to the accuracy of reproducing: (а) the angular deviation of the joystick from the vertical and (b) static muscle efforts during the pronation and supination of the joystick. The study involved 40 young (18–35 years old), physically active volunteers who randomly made up four groups of ten people: “Control” (lack of training), “Coordination” (training of passing an analog of a slit maze with a thin probe), “Discrete Relaxation” (training of discrete muscle relaxation of pronators and supinators of the forearm), “Combined” (combined training of maze passing and discrete relaxation). Before and after training (n = 10) we eva°luated: (1) the accuracy of reproduction of the deviation of the hand joystick from the vertical by 20°, 50°, 80° and (2) the accuracy of reproduction of isometric contraction (0, 20, 50, and 80
The paper considers the process of interaction of individual muscles and muscle groups serving various joints of the body in order to minimize vertical stability disorders caused by respiratory movements of the chest. The most significant control variables in the process of regulation of intermuscular interaction in order to maintain the stability of the vertical position of the body are considered. The analysis was performed using factorization of muscle electrical activity data, values of articular angles and movements of body segments. It was found that the strategy of maintaining a vertical stance is associated with the control of the hip and neck segments, and with an increase in the disturbing effect, other segments of the body are involved in synergy. An increase in the depth of breathing is accompanied by the inclusion of previously unused muscle modules and a change in the degree of involvement of each muscle in the process of regulating the vertical posture. Such inclusion is reflected in the temporal pattern of activation of synergies at the muscular level, which manifests itself in the formation of additional activation peaks in individual phases of the respiratory cycle. In the process of maintaining vertical stability, muscle activity is moderately associated with the regulation of the position of the general center of mass and is more directed at the formation of kinematic synergies, including changes in the values of a number of articular angles and simultaneous movement of most body segments. The latter, in turn, stabilize variables important for maintaining equilibrium, and synergetic control at the kinematic level increases as the depth of breathing increases.
The intestinal microbiota is a vital organ – a participant in the processes of adaptation and evolution, an inducer of inflammation and the progression of aging. The key element of the interaction of intestinal microbiota with the body is lipopolysaccharides, the level of which in the general bloodstream increases significantly in so-called “microbiota-associated diseases”, which indicates the participation of endotoxin aggression in their pathogenesis, and most likely their initiation. One of the most common reasons for the development of endotoxin aggression may be quantitative and qualitative changes in the structure of the intestinal microbiota, leading to an increase in intestinal permeability, which are largely determined by nutritional factors. The antiendotoxin component in the treatment regimen for patients with various nosological forms of the diseases significantly increases the effectiveness of the treatment and prophylactic process, which can become one of the most promising areas of anti-aging measures.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an actual medicosocial problem. The pathogenesis of PTSD is closely related to impairment of sensorimotor integration (SMI). The effectiveness of psychosomatic disorder therapy for PTSD rehabilitation can be improved by restoring normal sensorimotor integration. The review examines various autonomic, electro-physiological, and postural markers of high sensory motor integration in highly skilled athletes and musicians, as well as impairment of these indices in persons with PTSD. We have established that the most accessible and informative indicators of SMI are: an increase in EEG power in the individually adjusted high-frequency alpha-band, a reduction in energy demands for posture control and a decrease in the electromyographic activity of redundant muscles, not involved in a dual motor-cognitive task. In the future, it is planned to use these indicators to diagnose stress disorders and to develop sensorimotor integration recovery training in patients with PTSD.
Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) reflects the functioning of the nervous heart control, predominantly of a parasympathetic nature. The study of RSA mechanisms helps to reveal the physiological patterns of regulation of cardiac activity, and the development of new approaches to its assessment is an urgent medical task. This review will examine experimental approaches that have contributed to the development of modern ideas about the autonomic nervous system’s role in the formation of RSA, as well as the connection between RSA and frequency-matched fluctuations in systemic blood pressure. In addition, we will consider new data on the phase relationships of fluctuations in heart rate and blood pressure in the frequency range of respiratory waves, obtained using wavelet analysis of these physiological signals.
In order to identify the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying the violation of decision-making in risk conditions, we conducted a comparative analysis of spectral EEG indicators of patients with alcohol use disorders with different effectiveness of their decision-making in a number of cognitive tasks. As a result of the cluster analysis, two subgroups of patients were identified: with “moderate” and with “pronounced” decision-making deficit, which did not differ in socio–demographic and clinical indicators (p 0.05). The subgroup of patients with a “pronounced” decision-making deficit differed statistically significantly lower values of the spectral power of θ- and α-rhythm in the central (p = 0.018 for θ-rhythm and p = 0.017 for α-rhythm), parietal (p = 0.031 for θ-rhythm and p = 0.014 for α-rhythm), occipital (p = 0.029 for θ-rhythm and p = 0.016 for α-rhythm) and temporal (p = 0.022 on the left and p = 0.043 on the right for α-rhythm) leads compared with patients with “moderate” decision-making deficit. Thus, in a subgroup of patients with a “pronounced” deficit of decision-making, a certain deficit of the brain’s inhibitory systems was noted.
Currently, there is a problem of increasing the objectivity of electrophysiological methods for assessment of visual acuity. The purpose of this work: to study the characteristics of cognitive evoked potentials associated with events in the frontal areas of the brain in the tasks of images classification of objects by semantic features. We used visual stimuli, divided into the following classes: by semantic features—into living and nonliving objects, and by spatial frequency ranges—into broadband contour images (white on a black background) and narrowband, in which the low-frequency or high-frequency ranges were isolated by digital filtration. The prepared images were presented to the subjects on the display. In each series of studies, the subjects were instructed to classify the images by the features of “living/nonliving” object, regardless of the physical characteristics of the stimuli. It was shown that the P200 component of evoked potentials in the ventrolateral areas of the frontal cortex depends on the semantic properties of the stimuli, images of animate and inanimate objects and does not depend on such physical characteristics as the presence/absence of high-frequency or low-frequency filtering. In this paper, as a result of the analysis of individual data in two series of studies, the results of measurements of the amplitudes and latent periods for the P200 component of evoked potentials for different (by semantics) classes of contour images with high-frequency and low-frequency filtering at selected several individual spatial frequencies and contour unfiltered images with different instructions to the subjects are presented. The results may be used in the development of a new additional method for assessing visual acuity using visual evoked potentials.
A comparative determination of immunological parameters, natural antibodies (n-Abs) to the regulators of the main systems of biochemical homeostasis was carried out: β-endorphin, serotonin, dopamine, histamine, orphanin, angiotensin, GABA, glutamate, bradykinin, vasopressin, thrombin, α2-macroglobulin in persons with phantom pain syndrome (PPS) resulting from amputation after injury. In accordance with the established diagnosis, a group of 14 people was examined, for whom features of the distribution of immunological parameters were identified. For each examined patient, an individual immunoprofile of specific n-Abs was determined. A significant increase in the level of antibodies to serotonin, histamine, and angiotensin was established for all study participants, reflecting the degree of manifestation of PPS, which does not depend on the self-esteem of the person being examined. Determining the role of regulators of biochemical homeostasis in the development of phantom pain showed that with high, moderate, and weak severity of PPS, the biogenic amine and angiotensinergic systems are activated. A decrease in PPS intensity normalizes deviations in all immunological parameters. The level of n-Abs for the pain (β-endorphin) and analgesic (orphanin) systems are significant only at low PPS. Monitoring the individual profile of n-Abs to endogenous regulators allows us to obtain an objective picture of the pain status of the patient’s body. The severity of pain, assessed on various scales, may have no connection with the degree of imbalance of these systems, with neurophysiological and other characteristics of the manifestation of pain.
Speech is a continuous stream of sounds. To perceive speech, it is necessary to allocate discrete units with different frequency, volume, and duration during its sounding. The purpose of this study was to identify the responses of the human cortex and midbrain to the transition from a consonant to a vowel sound in a syllable. The study analyzed and compared evoked potentials (EPs) recorded using deep electrodes in 2 patients during intraoperative monitoring (IOM) with EPs recorded in 29 healthy volunteers from the head surface. Groups of peaks following the beginning of the stimulus sound and the transition from consonant to vowel sound were detected on the EPs registered in response to syllables and vowel sounds. Similar groups of short-latency peaks, S (from “start”) and C (from “change”), following the beginning of the stimulus sound and the transition from consonant to vowel sound, respectively, were distinguished on the patients’ EPs. Their latencies had no significant differences (p > 0.05). Similarly, complexes of long-latent peaks N1S–P2S and N1C–P2C, similar to each other, were isolated on the EPs of healthy volunteers. Their latencies also had no significant differences (p > 0.05). During the sounding of the stimulus, the cortex performs high-level (cognitive) sound processing, while the midbrain performs low-level (primary) processing, firstly providing rapid transmission of information to the cortex. With pathologies of the auditory structures of the thalamus and cortex, the ability to respond to changes in the characteristics of sound during its sounding, including speech, is likely to be impaired or lost.
The widespread occurrence of disorders and diseases of the musculoskeletal system in children determines the need to study the functional state of the foot in the process of preventive and health-improving measures and in the hygienic assessment of factors of foot formation, including the influence of wearing children’s shoes of different designs and weights. The aim of the study was to evaluate the functional state of the musculoskeletal system of the foot in children using standard functional physical activity. The study was conducted with the participation of 59 children aged 7–10 years. The load consisted of maximally raising and lowering the heels of both feet simultaneously 25 times at a pace of 1 cycle (stand on your toes and lower yourself) in 2 seconds. The area of the plantar surface of the foot was determined using the podobarography method, the condition of the arch of the foot, using the plantography method. It was found that under the influence of the load, the area of the right foot did not significantly change—82.33 ± 1.58 and 81.70 ± 1.74 cm2 (p = 0.642), the area of the left foot decreased from 86.72 ± 1.50 to 81.93 ± 1.44 cm2 (p = 0.000). For the right leading foot, this load turned out to be insignificant, which can be characterized as a manifestation of the “functional rigidity” of the foot in response to the load. For the left foot, the load caused a reaction of mobilization of the musculoskeletal system. The change in the area of the right foot before and after the load, depending on the condition of the arch of the foot, also turned out to be insignificant. For the left foot, in the normal state of the arch of both feet, the area after loading decreased from 80.31 ± 2.27 to 76.14 ± 2.55 cm2 (p = 0.022), with flattening—from 92.78 ± 3.88 to 88.50 ± 3.55 cm2 (p = 0.028), with flat feet – from 90.17 ± 5.35 to 84.25 ± 5.49 cm2 (p = 0.050). The change in the area of the plantar surface of the foot in response to physical exertion can be used to study the functional state of the musculoskeletal system of the foot during preventive medical examinations, evaluation of the effectiveness of preventive and corrective technologies, as well as in the hygienic evaluation of the design of children’s shoes.
The imbalance between energy intake and total energy expenditure is the cause of a negative energy balance and, in combination with prolonged intense physical activity, can lead to the development of low energy availability (LEA). The concept of LEA is associated with several endocrine, cardiovascular, inflammatory, gastrointestinal, and mental characteristics, which have been combined under the term Relative energy deficiency in sports (RED-S). Our analysis of the world literature has shown a high prevalence of LEA and RED-S against the background of insufficient awareness of coaches and athletes about energy deficiency and its negative health consequences, which emphasizes the importance of this problem. That is why the issues of early diagnosis, adequate treatment, and prevention of RED-S, taking into account the specifics of the sport, gender, and age, are of great practical importance.
This study assesses the effect of a course of ground-based microgravity modeled with seven 45-min dry immersion (DI) sessions in individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) (n = 10) on the performance of the “interception of a moving target” (IMT) test. The proportion of accurate target interceptions, delay and advance in interception, and mean time of delay and advance have been estimated. It has been established that, in contrast to the choice reaction time and discrimination reaction time tasks, the DI course had no effect on the interception accuracy (the percentage of accurate interceptions ranged from 50
The purpose of the article is analysis of the literature comparing the clinical manifestations of overtraining syndrome (OTS) and relative energy deficiency syndrome in sports (REDs). The analysis of publications connected to OTS and REDs was carried out from two literature databases (PubMed and Elibrary.ru). The selection of works for analysis was carried out from 514 articles of two literature databases on the problem of the commonality of OTS and REDs, the connection between these syndromes, as well as issues of impaired availability of energy and nutrients in OTS. A comparative analysis of the clinical manifestations of the two syndromes and evidence of the hypothesis that the relative lack of energy in sports is one of the reasons (theories) for the development of overtraining syndrome in an athlete was carried out. A review and analysis of the literature showed that REDs can be considered a manifestation of OTS, and relative energy deficit in sports (REDs) is only one of the reasons (theories) for the development of overtraining syndrome in athletes, along with other theories (theory of cytokines, oxidative stress, fatigue of the central nervous system and etc.).
To date, there is evidence that support stimulation of the feet in neurological practice is a promising method for motor rehabilitation. The implementation of support stimulation is possible in various ways, but according to the results of modern research, mechanical stimulation of the feet demonstrates the greatest effectiveness. At the same time, the area, localization and intensity of mechanical support stimulation determine the activation features of the cutaneous mechanoreceptors of the soles, affecting evoked motor responses. From this perspective, the question of which type of mechanical support stimulation is the most practical and prospective remains relevant. In this review, we consider the currently existing approaches to mechanical support stimulation, as well as the results of their application in medical practice in order to improve motor abilities in patients.
