EEG Source Localization assisted Ayurvedic Intervention in Brain Disorder Management.

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs), including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and Huntington’s disease (HD), are incurable and affect millions of people worldwide. They are caused by damage and death of neurons, disturbing cognitive and behavioral functions that typically destroy subcortical neurons and their connections and later affect the cerebral cortex. The neurodegeneration of the deep brain region remains unnoticed until the neuron damage has progressed to the cortical region and disorders are in their symptomatic state. Initial stage symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases occur 10-15 years before, leading to cognitive and 1 behavioural decline without apparent effects on everyday activities. Hence, EEG Source Localization based early diagnosis and ayurvedic intervention in brain disorder management are proposed herein. Brain (sub)cortical activity detection is a significant parameter in differentiating between a healthy and disordered brain. Using the Subcortical/Cortical Dipole Source Localization (S/C) DSL along with Head Harmonics (H2) basis function, it is possible to estimate the dipole sources present in each brain region, either cortical or deep inside. The EEG systems with low temporal resolutions combined with precise head anatomy information and sophisticated source localization algorithms can convert the EEG to a valid neuroimaging modality. This modality could help analyze the progressive impact of medication by observing the changes in brain-affected areas before and after drug intake. There is a recent upsurge in global interest in herbal or traditional medicine. These drugs are gaining popularity in developing and developed countries because of their natural origin and their side effects. On the contrary, conventional synthetic drugs reported unwanted but unavoidable side effects having poor patient compliance. Additionally, they treat only the symptoms. Therefore, herbal treatment is preferred over conventional treatments as an effective remedy for neurodegenerative brain disorders. Ayurveda provides a holistic treatment approach and a list of nootropic herbs known for their multi-dimensional utility in various conditions. Scattered information about traditional Ayurvedic remedial options for various mental disorders is available. The objective of the project is to explore non-invasive techniques for examining the impact of medication on neurodegenerative diseases. For this, an objectively measurable and mathematically verifiable framework will be worked out for the ayurvedic system.