Influence of Short-Term Relaxation on the Organization of the Brain Electrical Activity of Young Schoolchildren in the State of Quiet Wakefulness

Relaxation-induced changes in characteristics of the functional state of the nervous system (EEG parameters and electrodermal resistance (EDR)) were studied in 30 schoolchildren aged 9–10 years. A multichannel EEG was recorded from the occipital, parietal, temporo-parieto-occipital, central, and frontal areas of both brain hemispheres in three test conditions: quiet wakefulness, R, and recovery of the initial state. Simultaneously, the EDR was monitored. EEG amplitude spectra and coherence were calculated. Prior to and after relaxation, a cognitive test to determine the extent of short-term auditory verbal memory was performed. While changes in the EDR were reversible, relaxation-induced changes in the EEG parameters persisted after relaxation in many subjects. Changes in EEG coherence between distant derivations were most stable. Since short-term auditory verbal memory improved after relaxation, the postrelaxation changes in the EEG parameters were considered to reflect positive changes arising in the brain function and increasing the efficiency of cognitive processes.