Influence of the Emotional Factor on EEG Correlates of the Recognition of a Significant Light Stimulus

Abstract

Spatiotemporal EEG characteristics of an operator were analyzed at different stages of visual recognition of letters under conditions of exposure to negative emotional factors: the threat of electrodermal stimulation and an information deficit produced by a decrease in the time of stimulus presentation. It was shown that, during exposure to the emotional factors under study, recognition sensorimotor performance was associated with decreased intra- and interhemispheric crosscorrelation coefficients. The most prominent changes in this parameter were observed under the conditions of an information deficit. Under these complicated conditions, the stimulus recognition was characterized by differently directed redistributions of potentials in the Δ- and α frequency ranges in the rostral and caudal regions of the brain. It is suggested that, under the influence of emotional factors, a functional system with decreased interrelation of the brain structures is formed. Such a system provides optimal sensorimotor performance during exposure to emotional factors.