[Some indicators of nervous system function in people exposed to harmful conditions of the Chernobyl accident]

Clinico-neurophysiological study of the functional state of the nervous system was performed for persons who participated in elimination of the Chernobyl accident consequences in 1986, as well as for persons working in the 30 km zone. Mean age of the persons was 41. Vegetative dystonia syndrome was diagnosticated in 50% of examined subjects. The increased perception and pain thresholds, as well as the thresholds' asymmetry were determined in 30% of patients. The conduction velocity of sensory and motor nerves, as well as the neuromuscular transmission were normal. No substantial changes in parameters of the soleus H- and M-responses were detected. A decreased amplitude and increased latency of the evoked skin sympathetic potential were found indicating a decreased tone of the adrenergic sympathetic vasoconstrictors and cholinergic sudomotor fibres, that may be one of the pathogenic mechanisms of the sensory, vegetotrophovascular disorders for these subjects. Decreased activity of the sympathetic autonomic system causes permanent course of the vegetative dystonia syndrome and more seldom the parasympathetic autonomic paroxysms. A decreased tone of the sympathetic autonomic system may be due to the monoaminergic neuromediation inhibition (decreased noradrenaline and dopamine excretion for the same subjects), that can induce psychoemotional disorders, depression and sleep-wakeness cycle disorders.