EEG-CORRELATES OF ANXIETY OF STUDENT YOUTH IN THE REALITIES OF THE EXTREME SITUATION OF MARTIAL LAW

It is known that anxiety caused by an extreme situation can provoke chronic stress and the development of various somatic diseases. At the same time, there is no comprehensive information about EEG patterns in young people experiencing anxiety in the modern realities of Ukraine. The article deals with the peculiarities of the brain functioning of students with different levels of anxiety in the conditions of extreme situation of martial law. It is assumed that the level of anxiety of students while studying at a higher education institution in the extreme situation of martial law can affect the functioning of the brain. Extreme situation was understood as complicated conditions of educational activity: day and night air raids, mixed form of education, uneven workload, etc. The purpose of the research is to find out the peculiarities of brain functioning according to the indicators of its electrical activity in students with different levels of anxiety during an extreme situation of martial law. Research methods. The method of electroencephalography (EEG) was used to study background EEG patterns and record cognitive evoked brain potentials P300 of the auditory modality and determine the levels of reactive (RA) and personal (PA) anxiety. The study was conducted with the participation of 38 practically healthy male students aged 17-19 years. A correlation between EEG power and RA levels was found. Results of the research. The correlation analysis between EEG wave power and RA levels revealed the existence of a relationship between them, especially in the low-wave range, where correlations were found in four cortical loci. It was found that students with high anxiety were characterised by significantly lower reactivity of brain mechanisms compared to their peers with lower levels of anxiety. The low level of brain reactivity in students with high anxiety was observed at all stages of evoked brain activity, and their EEG was characterised by a low-amplitude pattern. The analysis of the amplitude characteristics of N1-P2 and P2-N2 revealed the existence of a significantly lower power of the interpeak intervals of the EEG in individuals with high anxiety compared to subjects with medium and low anxiety gradations. The obtained results can be useful for creating new approaches to preventing and overcoming anxiety as a consequence of the impact of an extreme martial law situation.