A.A. Lebedev1, M.I. Zhilina2, E.S. Petrova3, A.A. Lubyako4

1-4 Research Center of Balneology and Rehabilitation, branch of Federal state budgetary institution
"North-Caucasian Federal scientific clinical center of Federal medical-biological Agency" in Sochi (Sochi, Russia)

In article presents theoretical and practical information about the role of pupillographic research for psychophysiology science. The expediency of studying the reaction of the visual analyzer to a light stimulus as a tool for assessing the psychophysiological state of a person has been substantiated. The technique of conducting pupillographic studies with stress tests is described and a hypothesis is put forward about the identification of quantitative indicators of the individual threshold of excitability and residual excitation of the cerebral cortex. Pupillography is a method of dynamic registration of the pupil size and, accordingly, is most widespread in those areas of medicine whose subject of research is the pupillary function: in ophthalmology, neurology, narcology, psychiatry, as well as during periodic and pre-trip medical examinations of persons whose professions are associated with increased danger. However, a look at pupillography from the point of view of psychophysiology can significantly expand the range of information obtained during routine examination, towards deep processes, to the level of neurons in the cerebral cortex.

The aim of the work is to present a methodology for conducting pupillographic’s studies with stress tests to determine the psychophysiological state of a person. The criteria for assessing the psychophysiological state of a person are quantitative indicators of the individual threshold of excitability and residual excitation of the cerebral cortex. These calculated values were obtained by our research group during the mathematical analysis of pupillograms of volunteers.

These studies formed the basis of the so-called "know-how" – the result of intellectual activity, registered in the Unified State Information System of Accounting (EGISU NIOKTR) No.АААА-Г16-616090550003-7 – "A method for assessing the functional state and psychophysiological characteristics of the central regulation of the visual analyzer by the method of pupillometry".

The study showed that the use of the developed algorithm for processing the pupillogram makes it possible to assess the state of the Autonomic nervous system, energy indicators of the pupil function, to identify the dominant hemisphere of the brain, and also to obtain valuable data about residual excitation and the threshold of excitability of neurons in the cerebral cortex.

The practical significance of the work is that the developed technique will significantly expand the scientific significance of pupillometry as an instrumental research method in psychophysiology science.

Lebedev A.A., Zhilina M.I., Petrova E.S., Lubyako A.A. Current scientific research psychophysiological human’s condition by means pupillometry methods and biophysics science (literature review and own research). Biomedicine Radioengineering. 2022. V. 25. № 1.Р. 12-19. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18127/j15604136-202201-02 (In Russian).

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