Monitoring Autonomic and Central Nervous System Activity by Permutation Entropy during Short Sojourn in Antarctica

The aim of this study was to monitor acute response patterns of autonomic and central nervous system activity during an encounter with Antarctica by synchronously recording heart rate variability (HRV) and electroencephalography (EEG). On three different time-points during the two-week sea journey, the EEG and HRV were recorded from nine male scientists who participated in The First Turkish Antarctic Research Expedition. The recordings were performed in a relaxed state with the eyes open, eyes closed, and during a space quantity perception test. For the EEG recordings, the wireless 14 channel EPOC-Emotiv device was used, and for the HRV recordings, a Polar heart rate monitor S810i was used. The HRV data were analyzed by time/frequency domain parameters and ordinal pattern statistics. For the EEG data, spectral band power in the conventional frequency bands, as well as permutation entropy values were calculated. Regarding HRV, neither conventional nor permutation entropy calculations produced significant differences for the different journey time-points, but only permutation entropy was able to differentiate between the testing conditions. During the cognitive test, permutation entropy values increased significantly, whereas the conventional HRV parameters did not show any significant differences. In the EEG analysis, the ordinal pattern statistics revealed significant transitions in the course of the sea voyage as permutation entropy values decreased, whereas spectral band power analysis could not detect any significant difference. Permutation entropy analysis was further able to differentiate between the three testing conditions as well between the brain regions. In the conventional spectral band power analysis, alpha band power could separate the three testing conditions and brain regions, and beta band power could only do so for the brain regions. This superiority of permutation entropy in discerning subtle differences in the autonomic and central nervous system's responses to an overwhelming subjective experience renders it suitable as an analysis tool for biomonitoring in extreme environments

MEDICAL CONSULTANCY OF THE FIRST TURKISH ANTARCTIC RESEARCH EXPEDITION 2016

Objective: Antarctica is the coldest, farthest, and highest continent on Earth. Due to its extreme conditions and isolation, researchers undergo health assessments, which are prepared differently in each country. Health standards for National Arctic and Antarctic Polar Research Projects were prepared by our Faculty, and the scientists participating in the first national scientific expedition were assessed in the Department of Underwater and Hyperbaric Medicine

AN ERP STUDY ON EFFECTS OF COMPLEX MOTOR MOVEMENT TRAINING ON FOOTBALL PLAYERS' SUSTAINED ATTENTION PERFORMANCE

Complex motor movement exercises consist of a series of bodily exercises, and they are thought to be having positive effects on humans' cognitive abilities. The current study was conducted with football players to analyze these assumptions. Football players have trained with a series of bodily exercises for a month of period. Before and after the training, sustained attention and inhibition performances of experiment subjects and control group were assessed with a standard go/nogo task. The task was applied as both pre- and post-tests. Simultaneously with go/nogo task, EEG recordings with 16 channel were also taken. Thus, both behavioral and physiological assessments were able to be done. Results showed that training have improving effect on sustained attention and inhibition performances of subjects. Football players who had training showed higher performance on golnogo post-test than pre-test. On the other hand, football players who are not given any training did show no improvement on post-test. These results prove the assumption that complex motor exercises have improving effect on cognitive abilities, and they are also in concordance with literature