Hybrid EEG data analysis for diagnosis of stress-related neurological disorder: SKY as an alternative therapy

Abstract

There are many reasons associated with stress, long term stress induces neurological and psychosomatic disorders like hypertension, hypothyroidism, diabetes, anxiety and depression which affect the lifestyle of human beings. Consequently, behavioural activity and action gradually change in their surrounding environment and also perceived by others. In general, stressful respiration is relatively different from normal. To release stress and control all the neuropsychological hormones, multiple activities like playing games, watching a movie, listening to songs and music, etc. or intake of medicine/drugs such as (Allopathic /Homeopathic/Ayurvedic) are used. Medicines can provide easy stress evasion, but relief is only temporary. Thus, yoga and Sudarshan kriya (SK) meditation is a unique and alternate therapy identified by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar by Art of living. It would be a healthy way to get rid of stress in peoples’ lives. Study of long-term effects of (SKY) Sudarshan kriya Yoga before and after and response of the brain regions in experienced (10–15 yrs) practitioners, mediocre (3–5 yrs) and novice(non-practitioners) is the main objective of this work. This study is planned in three phases, the first phase is an experiment on SKY practitioners for more than 10–15 years, in which their (EEG) Electroencephalogram is recorded just after a session of meditation and the common portion of excitation amongst the three subjects is mined and analysed, to draw inferences. This inference would help us draw a conclusion about (BLOC) base level of consciousness considered as benchmark. In the second phase, comparison of benchmark data with the Mediocre (3–5 yrs) measurement and in third phase, benchmark versus Novice data, is done. Next is the phase of interpretation of the response in the form of EEG spectral waves as Type I- 10 to 15 years SKY Practitioners (Superconscious), Type II- SKY practitioners 3 to 5 years (mediocre/semiconscious) and Type. III- Non-practitioner subjects (Novice/Un-conscious). The unconsciousness here means a state of complete unawareness of the self, though conscious of the external, physical world. Thus, power spectrum analysis (PSA) is carried out and frequency of each electrode is computed through segment analysis, Power Spectrum Density (PSD), Correlation coefficient, Mean and Standard Deviation, for finding the level of consciousness. The spectral waveform of these recordings is analysed programmatically using machine learning techniques (used Python Language run on the Jupyter notebook, Spyder, Google colab environment).Frequency analysis results are obtained by placing 21 electrodes in human brain in different lobes that is (Fz, C2, P2, FP1, FP2, F3, F4, C3, C4, P3, P4, O1, O2, F7, F8, T3, T4, T5, BP4, E.G, T6) those are frequency measuring electrodes/channels placed on the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe and occipital lobe over skull and brainwaves alpha (α)[8–12 Hz], beta (β)[12–16 Hz], delta (δ)[0.5–4 Hz], theta (Θ)[4–8 Hz], gamma (γ)[16–32 Hz] are synthesized. The interpretation of these analyses suggests alternative therapeutic techniques, to improve both mentally and psychologically and thus become socially acceptable.