[The simplest form of emotional-motor reaction in man]. / Prosteishaia forma émotsional'no-motornogo reagirovaniia cheloveka.

In the present paper, human startle reaction (SR) characteristics were estimated by the amplitude of eye-lid reflex and extent of monosynaptic H-reflexes increase. SR depended not only on the parameters of sound stimulation (strength, unexpectedness) but also on the subject's functional state (attention, emotional background). Differences are given of the SR parameters from the orienting reaction. It is supposed that SR is an independent form of emotional-motor reaction of an adaptive character.

[Effect of ethanol on components of the nonspecific startle reaction in man]. / Vliianie étanola na komponenty nespetsifichsekoi startl-reaktsii u cheloveka.

The components of the startle reaction (SR) (reactions of nonspecific motor activation, the wink reflex and reflectory alleviation of motoneurones) were utilized as indices of the functional status of the midbrain system of cerebral nonspecific activation. Healthy subjects and chronic alcoholics in the abstinence period were examined. The patients exhibited significantly lower SR thresholds, a shortened latent period and a stronger reaction as compared with the healthy subjects which was suggestive of the irritation of the mesencephalic activating mechanisms in patients during the period of abstinence. Intake of the euphorizing doses of ethanol depressed the acoustic SR in both patients and controls. It is concluded that ethanol exerts an inhibitory action on the midbrain system of brain nonspecific activation.

[Neurophysiologic organization of the pathologic craving for alcohol]. / Neirofiziologicheskaia organizatsiia patologicheskogo vlecheniia k alkogoliu.

The authors examined the functional shifts occurring at various levels of the non-specific activation system of the brain in positive (euphoria in the state of alcoholic intoxication) and negative (anxiety in the period of abstinence) emotional states. An analysis of the EEG, as well as the EMG of the articulation muscles gives one grounds to suppose that the euphoria is accompanied by a weakening of the activation on the part of mesencephalon, and, at the same time, an intensification of the diencephalo-limbic activation processes. On the contrary, the anxiety is accompanied by mesencephalic hyperactivation which is, probably, eliminated after taking a dose of alcohol.

[Individual-topologic features of the human central nervous manifested during exposure to ethanol]. / Individual'no-topologicheskie osobennosti tsentral'noi nervnoi sistemy cheloveka, proiavliaiushchiesia pri vozdeistvii étanola.

Psychological, psycho-motor and electrophysiological tests performed in humans prior to and after oral administration of ethanol revealed that the latter induced the EEG synchronization of the predominant rhythm and enhancement of spindles in practically all healthy subjects. Considering, however, the background specifics of parameters under study and their changes after ethanol administration, it is possible to single out individuals with a greater risk factor in respect to their susceptibility to alcohol.