[Dynamics of the reactions of nonspecific and somatic activation while learning adaptive biocontrol]

Dynamics of characteristics of respiration, cardiac, muscular and EEG-activities was studied in volunteers during their learning of voluntary control of skin resistance and temperature by means of biological feedback. Initial stage of learning of adaptive biocontrol was connected with involvement of systemic activation reactions, which had similar characteristics during control of various vegetative parameters both at their increase and decrease. The revealed activation shifts represent non-specific reaction characteristic of learning and extinction at gradual specialization and consolidation of control habit. Characteristics of learning dynamics confirmed N. Miller's hypothesis that adaptive biocontrol represents a form of instrumental conditioning. At the same time, the involvement of systemic reactions is not an obligatory condition of adaptive biocontrol learning. This fact confirms the presence of various "individual strategies" of learning and existence of a sufficiently wide spectrum of physiological mechanisms of visceral processes central control which could be included at learning of voluntary control of visceral parameters.