The gender-specific reactions of student's central nervous system to physical loads
Authors: Anatolii Bosenko  , Nadiia Orlyk  , Mariia Topchii  , Yevhen Mykhaliuk  , Yehor Horokhovskyi  
Published: April 2023

Purpose: to study the response of the central nervous system and the characteristics of neurophysiological processes in students of both genders during physical load.

Material & Methods: in the study participated 58 female and 82 male students. All participants were classified as individuals with high level of physical activity according to survey data. The general health of students and their demand to participate in this study were determined by interview and examination. The reaction of the central nervous system was studied using a reflexometer according to the method proposed by T. Loskutova. The method is based on the analysis of the statistical distribution of multiple measurements of the simple visual-motor reaction time and represents a quantitative characteristic of the functional state of the central nervous system. Reflexometry was carried out at a relative resting state and at the 5th minute of recovery period after a physical load in the bicycle test, carried out according to the method proposed by D. Davidenko et al. The analysis of the obtained data was performed using Microsoft Excel 2016 and SPSS 20.0 statistical package.

Results: analysis of the obtained reflexometry data, which reflects the probabilistic and statistical principle of brain function, demonstrate insignificant fluctuations in the functional state of the brain in the majority of the examined students in a relative resting state, which were within the normal range. In accordance with the criteria for assessing the general functional state of the brain, a high and medium level of reaction stability is inherent in 76.8% male and in 84.2% female students. It should be noted that there were students who had indicators pointing to disturbances of the mechanisms of stabilization of nervous processes (3.4% female and 7.3% male students), a high degree of intensity of tonic nonspecific effects (10.3% female and 6.1% male students) and the inability to maintain an appropriate functional level (6.9% females and 9.8% males). A second assessment of the general functional state of the brain of students revealed that the average group values of indicators of the general functional state of the brain are within the age and gender norms. A certain tendency to an insignificant decrease in the stability of the reaction in both groups of subjects was noted (p=0.918 – in male students, p=0.537 – in female students), which indicates the stationary nature of the system. The stability of the functional level of the system (p=0.821) and the level of functional abilities (p=0.748) was maintained in the group of examined students. Indicators of the functional level of the system (p=0.411) and the functional abilities (p=0.467) decreased in the group of female students, indicating a deterioration in the functional state of the nervous system influenced by the dosed physical load. High and medium levels of reaction stability are characteristic of 72.4% female and 75.8% male students. It should be noted that the number of female students with pathologically low levels of reaction stability increased to 8.6%, and, conversely, the number of males with a similar level decreased to 3.7%.

Conclusions: changes in the functional state of the brain by the majority of criteria be assessed as an activation response that allows fluctuations within 25%. This reaction is characteristic of 51% of female and 63% of male students. Deviations in the range of ±25–50% are considered stress reactions and were noted in 31% and 24% of the females and males examined, respectively. Cases of overstrain with possible disruption of adaptation were recorded in 19% of female students and 12% of male students. By the majority of criteria of functional capabilities of the CNS and its reactions to dosed physical activity, the gender predominance of males was established, characterized by slightly higher stability (p=0.574), the level of CNS activation (p=0.294) and greater ability to form an adequate system of adaptation (p=0.451) to educational loads and significantly higher absolute and relative physical performance.