Specificity of Functions of Attention Systems and Self-Assessment of Health State Associated with Age and Coronary Heart Disease

• Published in: Human physiology 2021-11, Vol.47 (6), p.658-665
• Main Authors: Razumnikova, O. M., Tarasova, I. V., Trubnikova, O. A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cardiovascular disease; Coronary artery disease; Executive function; Heart diseases; Human Physiology; Ischemia; Life Sciences; Quality of life; Self evaluation; Self-assessment
• ISSN: 0362-1197; 1608-3164
• DOI: 10.1134/S0362119721060098

The specificity of the functions of attention systems (executive control, alerting, and orienting) and self-assessment of the quality of life were studied by comparing groups of elderly and young healthy subjects and patients of a cardiological center. It was found that self-assessment of physical health in the group of healthy elderly subjects was lower than in young subjects but higher than in subjects with coronary heart disease, and mental health in the last two groups was lower than in the first one. The reorganization of attention systems in cerebral ischemia in comparison with healthy subjects is manifested by an increase in the number of errors and the selection time of visually presented information, indicating a decline in the functions of executive control, less alerting and a longer reaction time in the orienting system, and self-assessment of the quality of life is to a greater extent related with the functions of the alerting system, whereas it is related with the executive control of attention in healthy elderly subjects.