IMPORTANCE OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MULTITASKING TRAINING IN CARDIAC SURGERY PATIENTS

Highlights The effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation (the absence of the postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is associated with the emotional regulation of behavior and frequency-spatial organization of brain activity. The positive outcome of cognitive rehabilitation is promoted by «pre-tuning» background theta activity associated with the components of emotional intelligence: «attention to emotions» and «use of emotions in decision making». The distinctive feature of the group with unsuccessful rehabilitation is the link between empathy and high-frequency beta 2 rhythm. Aim. To study the relationship between the components of emotional intelligence (EI) and electrical activity of the brain (EEG), reflecting the effects of cognitive rehabilitation using multitasking training in cardiac surgery patients. Methods. The prospective cohort study included 83 patients who had undergone direct myocardial revascularization, 42 of whom underwent multitasking training in the early postoperative period. Physical, laboratory, and extended neurophysiological examinations were performed before cardiac surgery and 11–12 days after the intervention. Results. The effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation (absence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD)) is related to peculiarities of emotional regulation of behavior, reflected in the ratio of components of EI and frequency-spatial organization of brain activity. The group of patients with positive cognitive rehabilitation (absence of POCD) is characterized by «pre-tuning» background theta activity associated with the components of emotional intelligence: «attention to emotions» and «use of emotions in decision making». The distinctive feature of the group with unsuccessful rehabilitation is the link between empathy and high-frequency beta 2 rhythm. Conclusion. Regional features of detected coupling patterns of EI and brain activity suggest that the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation using multitasking training is determined by the degree of preservation of cortical control functions during the development of cardiac artery disease, reflected in the peculiarities of emotional regulation of behavior of the patients.