Parameters of the P300 auditory evoked potential and autonomic heart rate regulation in adolescents residing in different climatic and geographical conditions of Russia

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The physiological functions and body development take place as the body adapts to the environment. For schoolchildren aged 16-17, their primary focus is on studying, which involves processing and retaining a significant volume of diverse information. The P300 auditory evoked potential reflects the neurophysiological aspects of cognitive functions such as attention and memory. This assessment is particularly relevant when considering the autonomic heart rate regulation in young individuals residing in the northern and southern regions of Russia.
 AIM: The objective of this study was to assess the auditory evoked potential components, namely P300 and N2, along with heart rate variability parameters in a group of healthy young Russian adolescents living in different climatic and geographical conditions.
 MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study sample consisted of 156 individuals aged 1617 years permanently residing in Arkhangelsk, Nadym and Simferopol. The assessment of the autonomic nervous system was carried out according to the parameters of heart rate variability on the agro-industrial complex Varikard. Registration of P300 and N2 components was carried out on the Neuron-Spectrum-4/VPM electroencephalograph (Neurosoft, Russia), using the oddball paradigm.
 RESULTS: The predominance of sympathetic nervous system activity in the regulation of heart rate and the lengthening of the N2 latency was revealed in adolescents in Nadym. In residents of Arkhangelsk and Simferopol, there were no differences in the parameters of heart rate variability and components of the auditory evoked potential of P300. Interhemispheric asymmetry of N2 latency was observed in young people of Arkhangelsk, where the time was shorter in the central (C4, p=0.04) and right anterior temporal (F8, p=0.01) sections.
 CONCLUSIONS: The imbalance in the autonomic nervous system towards the predominance of sympathetic influences in the heart rate regulation is reflected in slower recognition and differentiation of the sound signal.