Physiological characteristics of cognitive functions of cadets with military-training experience

Abstract

Investigation of physiological mechanisms of cognitive functions and efficiency of cognitive activity is the major problem of military service psychophysiology. We have studied the effect of military-training experience on cognitive functions, heart rate variability and bioelectrical activity of sensorimotor cortex of cadets. Cadets with military-training experience from Suvorov Military (quantity of errors in Shulte’s test (0,16±0,57) in comparison with the cadets without military-training experience (0,54±1,08) (F=4,7; p=0,03). Cadets from Suvorov Military School had a higher quantity of false start (46,36±17,68) and lower quantity of retardation (86,39±17,44) on visual stimulus of test «Reaction on moving object». Cadets without military-training experience had quantity of false start - 38,04±18,95 (F=5,8; p=0,02) and quantity of retardation - 100,48±20,37 (F=15,1; p=0,001). Cadets with military-training experience solved a lower quantity of tasks in the test «Hours with rotation» (26,18±6,71) in comparison with the cadets without military-training experience (29,10±7,89; F=4,3; p=0,04). The maximum time of solving one task at cadets with military-training experience is more (38,07±10,66 sec) than at cadets without military-training experience (34,07±10,57 sec; F=4,0; p=0,05). Cadets with military-training experience had lower heart rate, the higher standard deviation of R-R-intervals and variation range, high level of relative power in the high-frequency spectral bound. They had high activity of sensorimotor cortex of right cerebral hemisphere in the tests with the switching of attention and had low activity of sensorimotor cortex of left cerebral hemisphere in the test with arithmetic tasks.