Moscow University
Anthropology
Bulletin
Anthropology
Bulletin
1) Lomonosov Moscow State University, Anuchin Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology, Mokhovaya st., 11, Moscow, 125009, Russia; 2) Anokhin Institute of Normal physiology, Baltiyskaya st., 8, Moscow, 125315, Russia; 3) Moscow City University of Psychology and Education, Sretenka st., 29, Moscow, 127051, Russia
Gorbacheva Anna K., Ph.D., ORCID ID: 0000-0001-5201-7128, e-mail: angoria@yandex.ru; Kovaleva Anastasiya Vladimirovna, Ph.D., e-mail: anastasia_kovaleva@hotmail.com; Kuzmina Tatiana Ivanovna, Ph.D., e-mail: ta-1@list.ru; Panova Elena Nikolaevna, e-mail: neiropsychology@yandex.ru; Sukhova Alla V., Ph.D., ORCID ID: 0000-0002-8809-3592, e-mail: alla-sukhova@bk.ru; Fedotova Tatiana K, Ph.D., D.Sc., ORCID ID: 0000-0001-7750-7924, e-mail: tatiana.fedotova@mail.ru
Systematic interest towards investigation of psychosomatic correlations has a century-old history. Relevance of psychosomatic studies will only increase with a swift increase in our pace of life, increase in professional and social stresses and professional burnout. In this context the use of available, reliable and objective physiological marker (i.e. EEG parameters) of the individual psychological status may be promising. The first stage of the study aims to evaluate the intergroup variability of neurophysiological variables new to anthropological practice (EEG parameters), and the analysis of pair correlations of neurophysiological and somatic parameters, which is performed for the first time for so broad a set of both parameters. The study analyses data on 33 males and 65 females, Psychology students from the Moscow State University of Psychology and Education. However, the data base is constantly supplemented with new patients. The research program includes detailed questionnaire; standard anthropometry: stature, weight, lengths of extremities, diameters, skinfold sizes and circumferences; psychological tests to estimate the anxiety level (Spilberger-Khanin), vegetative lability, self-regulation ability (Morosanova); EEG recording (10 cortical leads, theta, alpha, beta, gamma frequency bands). “Systematic” deviation of the asymmetry and excess values of EEG parameters from the values of the Gaussian distribution is found. The picture of the intergroup variability of the EEG-parameters corresponds to the well-known notion of the significant inter-individual variability of EEG parameters. The direction of sexual differences of most EEG parameters is opposite to that for somatic traits, which confirms the well-known fact of the stronger brain activity in women. The frequency of non-random correlations of EEG and somatic parameters does not exceed the 5% level for females (4.9%) and is even lower for males (2.3%). The frequency of significant correlations is higher for females compared to males, which may indicate more close associations of somatic and EEG parameters with the increase of the latter. The greatest number of significant correlations of EEG parameters is found with linear (21) and transversal (30) skeletal dimensions, the smallest number - with skinfold sizes (10) and body mass (4). This contrast is more marked in males, whose EEG parameters do not show any significant correlation with body mass and in only 2 cases show significant correlations with skinfold sizes. The greater number of associations between EEG parameters and the skeletal dimensions corresponds to the fact that variability if EEG parameters is under strong genetic control, as is the variability of skeletal dimensions compared to muscle and especially adipose component variability. The greater number of significant associations is found in alpha-band of EEG, i.e. in the state of rest, where sexual differences are also more pronounced – 53 significant correlations for females compared to 23 for males, or 6.0% and 2.61% respectively. The levels of physiological/somatic correlations is about R=0.4-0.5 for females and R=0.6-0.7 for males, which is higher than the level of psycho-somatic association from the literature (0.3-0.5). The analysis of the intergroup variability indicates fundamentally different nature of this system of parameters as compared to the classical morphological ones, basic for the anthropological practice: significant inter-individual variability and stronger expression in women, which results in negative values of sexual dimorphism of power parameters and, in part, in coherency of EEG parameters. The number of intersystem associations is expectedly small, pointing to the well-known autonomy of these systems within the integrity of the organism, and to the independence of their variation. In the case of skeletal parameters and for the alpha-band of EEG, their number, or the reliability of predicting brain activity parameters using somatic traits, increases from males to females.
anthropology, anthropometry, EEG parameters, psychometrics, psychosomatic and psychophysiological correlations, students aged 18-20 years
Цит.: Gorbacheva A.K., Kovaleva A.V., Kuzmina T.I., Panova E.N., Sukhova A.V., Fedotova T.K. Search for new approaches towards studyingpsychosomatic correlations in anthropology: first stage of the study // Moscow University Anthropology Bulletin (Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta. Seria XXIII. Antropologia), 2016; 3/2016; с. 17-35
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