Cerebral energy metabolism in young people during adaptation to the conditions of the Arctic region

Aim. The article deals with determining the features of cerebral energy metabolism in young people at different stages of adaptation in the Arctic region. Materials and methods. The level of permanent brain direct current potentials (DCP) was measured in 146 young people: 93 born and permanently living in the Arctic region and 53 migrants living in new climatic conditions for the first months. The study was conducted by using a “Neuro-KM” 12-channel hardware-software complex for the topographic mapping of brain electrical activity. DCP were recorded in the unipolar leads according to the 10-20 international system. Statistical processing of the data obtained was carried out with the software package SPSS-20 for Windows. Results. In young people permanently living in the Arctic region, we revealed functional asymmetry of the brain with right-hemisphere dominance in almost all leads. In migrants living in the climatic conditions of the Arctic region for the first months, we established high values of energy consumption and partial asymmetry of cerebral energy metabolism. Conclusion. Body functioning in the usual habitat is characterized by a stereotypical set of regulatory mechanisms. During adaptation, new ways of responding to changes in the environment are formed. The dominance of the right or left hemisphere occurs depending on the type of tasks. The analysis of interhemispheric asymmetry of energy consumption performed by using the method of brain mapping allows assessing the degree of dominance. The dominance of energy consumption in the left hemisphere may indicate a possible failure of adaptation mechanisms. Positive interhemispheric gradients indicate the correct performance of CNS regulatory mechanisms during adaptation to new environmental conditions.