Emotional intelligence and specificity of brain cortical activity in coronary heart disease

Abstract

Testing the components of emotional intelligence (EI) in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) showed that they are more likely to react to emotionally significant situations than to express their emotions. The most pronounced influence on the frequency-spatial organization of brain activity, mainly in the θ1-, α2- and β1-ranges, is induced by such EI components as the expression of positive emotions, the use of emotions in decision-making and empathy. An increase in self-assessment of positive expression is associated with an increase in the power of the β1-rhythm in the parieto-occipital cortex with the dominance of the left hemisphere and an increase in the θ1 not only in these areas, but also in the posterofrontal cortical sites. The increase in empathy is accompanied by a decrease in the power of the β1-rhythm, mainly in the temporal cortex of the left hemisphere. Gender differences were found in the association of self-assessment of negative expression and the power of θ- and β-oscillations with greater involvement of the left frontal areas in women. The identified features of the relationship between EI and EEG parameters may be a consequence of the reorganization of cortical activity in patients with coronary heart disease, which develops as a result of chronic cerebral ischemia.