CHARACTERISTICS OF VEGETATIVE REGULATION IN MENTALLY RETARDED ORPHAN CHILDREN LIVING IN A BOARDING-HOUSE

Background. To study the problem of mental retardation is a vital task since the indices related to the prevalence of this pathology are stable and high. Mentally retarded children show low abilities to social adaptation. One of the informative methods of estimating coping-adaptation abilities of a childs organism is studying the activities of vegetative nerve system. Aim. The characteristics of vegetative nerve system in mentally retarded children living in a special boarding house. Materials and Methods. We have examined 105 early school children, 18 out of them being mentally retarded and living in a special boarding house. Control group was represented by 87 intellectually healthy children of the same age, living in the families. The activities of vegetative nerve system were evaluated by the cardio intervalgraphy method with further estimation of spectrum, geometry and time parameters. Results. We have found no distinctions in the state of the rest among all the indices of vegetative regulation between the two groups. At the same time, in functional stress test in mentally retarded children we have revealed significantly higher indices related to parasympathetic link of vegetative regulation. Moreover, the parameters, which characterize sympathetic regulation and which usually go up in stress tests were found to be significantly lower in mentally retarded children as compared to control group. Conclusion. The obtained data in regard to the functioning of vegetative nerve system prove the discrepancies between functional response of a mentally retarded child's organism and the stress. One of the factors, determining the peculiarities of vegetative nerve system activities in mentally retarded children could be the influence of many-sided deprivation, which children inevitably experience in a boarding house. Implementation of cardio intervalgraphy method can be recommended as additional control for the state of functional abilities in mentally retarded orphan children, living in a boarding house.