UDC

612.843-053.5.-055.1.2

Authors

Kozlova Polina Igorevna, Postgraduate Student, Institute of Medical and Biological Research, Northern (Arctic) Federal University named after M.V. Lomonosov (Arkhangelsk, Russia) 

Abstract

The paper presents the results of tests on visual cognitive evoked potentials in 215 schoolchildren with high level of anxiety aged 13–18 years. Boys have increased latency and decreased amplitude of P2 and Р300 components of visual cognitive evoked potentials, which reflect the activation of specialized information processing systems, final stimulus identification and decision-making. No such reactions were observed in girls with high level of anxiety aged 13–17 years. In addition, 13-year-old boys and 14–15-year-old girls had reduced amplitude of N2 peak. N2 amplitude reflects the processes of focused attention, and its reduction may indicate attention deficit in girls and boys with high levels of anxiety. Thus, high level of anxiety leads to most pronounced changes caused by brain bioelectrical activity in boys and is characterized by changes in both early and late components of visual cognitive evoked potentials.

Keywords

schoolchildren, high anxiety, visual cognitive evoked potentials, brain bioelectrical activity.

References

1. Astapov V.M. Trevozhnost’ u detey [Anxiety in Children]. Moscow, 2008. 160 p. 
2. Gnezditskiy V.V. Vyzvannye potentsialy mozga v klinicheskoy praktike [Evoked Potentials of the Brain in Clinical Practice]. Moscow, 2003. 264 p. 
3. Gordeev S.A. Osobennosti bioelektricheskoy aktivnosti mozga pri vysokom urovne trevozhnosti cheloveka [Brain Bioelectrical Activity at a High Anxiety Level in Humans]. Fiziologiya cheloveka, 2007, no. 4, vol. 33, pp. 11–17. 
4. Zenkov L.R., Ronkin M.A. Funktsional’naya diagnostika nervnykh bolezney [Functional Diagnosis of Nervous System Diseases]. Moscow, 2004. 488 p. 
5. Izard C. The Psychology of Emotions. New York, 1991 (Russ. ed.: Izard K. Psikhologiya emotsiy. St. Petersburg, 2000. 464 p.). 
6. Romitsyna E.E. Metodika “Mnogomernaya otsenka detskoy trevozhnosti” [The method of “Multivariable Estimation of Child Anxiety”]. St. Petersburg, 2006. 112 p.