Useful adaptive effect as a physiological process in functional systems of the organism

Abstract

In the present work physiological principles and processes have been considered with respect to the theory of functional systems developed by Academician P. K. Anokhin. The elaboration of these principles, as well as the results of previous experiments, allowed us to propose a new notion of useful adaptive result. The adaptive effect is considered as a physiological process in the central nervous system, which results from reverse afferentation concerning the characteristic of an external object to neurons in the result- accepting apparatus. New notions of the useful effect (regulation of blood pressure, feeding behavior and human social activity) were evidenced by logical and experimental data. We reviewed the neurophysiological processes that accompany goal-directed activity of animals and underlie the formation of useful adaptive result in the system.