Influence of geomagnetic storms on the quality of fulfillment of sensomotor task

George Tchitchinadze, Irina Kvatchadze, Ioram Tarkhan-Mouravi, Levan Tvildiani, Alexander Tsibadze

Scientific and Practical Center of Kurortology, Physiotherapy and Curative Tourism of Georgia;
Department of Physiology, Medical Physics and Biophysics, Department #1 of Internal Medicine, Tbilisi State Medical University, Georgia

Object of the work: Observations were made among the volunteers young men of the age of 18-22 years old (n=84). As geomagnetically quiet were considered the days when the value of the K-index was less then two, and as a geomagnetic storm – when the K-index was equal to 5 and more. The whole contingent was examined in the days of geomagnetic serenity as well as during the storm days. Sensor and motor reaction was studied by means of the Landolt’s rings in the computerized regimen: on the blank monitor the rings with 3 or 5 slits appeared, the time of exposition – 36 ms, length of the interval between shots – 1800 ms. The meaning of the task was that object of investigation should to reply on the appearance all light stimulus by simple click on the left knob of the mouse. During each signal the computer program besides the RR-intervals registered also the time of reaction, the quantity of right, wrong and missed responses (i.e. index of the work quality). In the days of a geomagnetic quiet the facts of the wrong responses on the light stimulus were not be fixed; in the geomagnetic storms the worsening of the quality of task performance determined as a appearance of the missed shots and lengthening of the time of reaction was observed. The results received give the base to assert that geomagnetic storms diminish the quality of performance of visual-motor task among the persons with the predominance of the parasympathetic autonomic reactions. Taking into account that the magnetic fields of the infralow and very low frequency ranges influence the autonomic regulatory mechanisms of an organism, alteration of the quality of the performance of magnitolabile persons notes on the alteration of sensitivity of the high, cortical parts of the nervous system toward the geomagnetic storms. Probably this fact can explain the raise of autocatastrophes in the conditions of magnetic non-stability.

Keywords:  geomagnetic storm, sensomotor task