ИСТИНА

The aim of the study was to reveal associations between postural control characteristics and some physiological parameters in trained and untrained adults. 36 young healthy adults 18-25 years old with different balance training experience participated in our study. The 1st group – 13 untrained students, a 2nd group – 12 moderately trained young actors, a 3rd group – 11 well-trained amateur athletes. Stabilometric measurements (Romberg test) were performed on a stabilometric platform and calculated with STPL software. In addition to the traditional stabilometric parameters (surface area (S), velocity (V) and length (L) of center of pressure fluctuations), we used an index of mechanical energy (A), which is quantified as energy, spent by patient’s center of pressure in the plane of stabilometric platform, dependent on the mass and stated in Joules (Grohovsky S.S., Kubryak O.V., 2011). Autonomic characteristics (breathing frequency and amplitude, and heart rate variability, HRV) and EEG were recorded at rest conditions. Nonparametric statistics were applied for data analysis. For the whole sample, significant nonlinear correlations were found between the index of mechanical energy (A) and alpha-band width (+0.39 in eyes open and +0.37 in eyes closed), breathing amplitude (+0.61 in eyes open and +0.48 in eyes closed). Surface area and velocity are closely connected to the heart rate variability: bad balance control assumes high VLF, low HF-component of HRV spectral power and high LF/HF ratio. Associations with HRV parameters mean high sympathetic activation and stress. In the 1st (students) group only one negative significant correlation was found between the surface area in eyes closed condition with heart rate (-0.63). In the 2nd (actors) group significant correlations of stabilometric parameters were revealed with arousal reaction (alpha power depression in response to opening the eyes): the more activation amplitude the better balance control (lower A index). It was also found some significant correlations with autonomic parameters (HRV characteristics and abdominal amplitude). In the 3rd (athletes) group we found only one significant correlation coefficient of stabilometric parameters with alpha-band characteristics: low surface area in eyes closed conditions (good balance control) had those athletes, who had high individual alpha peak frequency (IAPF). The other significant correlations were with HRV parameters, almost the same as for the whole sample. These results allow us to suggest that different level of fitness and education specialization can lead to the fact that the same task (postural or balance control) involve different brain and body systems in the organism.