Authors:
Tim J. C. Jacob
1
;
Jeremy Warden-Smith
1
;
Neil Kernot
2
and
Malyka Galay Burgos
1
Affiliations:
1
Cardiff University, United Kingdom
;
2
Chelker Technology, United Kingdom
Keyword(s):
Depression, Anxiety, EEG, Alphawaves, Frontal Asymmetry, Bright Light Therapy, Smell Stimulation.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Biosignal Acquisition, Analysis and Processing
;
Computer Graphics and Visualization of Physiological Data
;
Human-Computer Interaction
;
Methodologies and Methods
;
Physiological Computing Systems
Abstract:
Anxiety and depression are increasingly common disorders. Globally, more than 350 million people of all
ages suffer from these illnesses. Depression and anxiety are treated with medication, psychotherapy, or
electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), either individually or in combination. Drugs and ECT are not cures and
often involve unpalatable adverse side-effects necessitating safer more sustainable alternatives. The
antidepressant properties of bright light are well established and aroma stimulation has been shown to improve
mood and reduce markers for anxiety and depression. A combinatory therapy of light and smell stimulation
has been shown to have a positive impact on mood, physiological markers for stress, anxiety and depression.
In particular, negative alphawave brain asymmetry, an objective marker for depression, is reduced by a 15min
stimulus treatment. The proposal outlined in this paper is that real-time frontal alpha asymmetry, recorded by
EEG, be used to control the frequency, d
uration and amplitude of the light and aroma signals to optimise the
effectiveness of the treatment. The object of this treatment is to rebalance the frontal asymmetry restoring a
frontal activity representative of a non-depressed, non-anxious state.
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