Music interventions and obstructive sleep apnea: a brain connectivity analysis.

Abstract

Background: The blockage in the upper airway that occurs, while sleeping is represented as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This seem to be a major issue which cause breathing difficulties also increases the risk of severe complications, such as heart attacks and strokes. Therefore, in this proposed study the impact of OSA using brain connectivity analysis under various conditions such as Neelambari, Kapi, and no music has been investigated. The electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings of twelve subjects were acquired in two different conditions, such as listening to music 1 and 2 (Neelambari and Kapi) and the absence of music. The raw EEG signals were then pre-processed using both bandpass and notch filters. Meanwhile, the EEG sub-bands were obtained using the wavelet packet decomposition (WPD) method. These sub-bands, including delta, theta, alpha, and beta, were used for brain connectivity analysis. This approach provides the visualization of frequency-specific regional brain connectivity patterns by applying Pearson Correlation to the absolute values of the detail coefficients from WPD using a graph theory metric, node strength.

Results: Increased connectivity in the right hemisphere of the brain was observed among the nodes in the frontal and temporal regions (F8, FC6, and T8) when participants listened to Neelambari music (Music 1). In the beta band, the correlation values for Neelambari music ranged from a minimum of 0.943 to a maximum of 0.998. In the delta band, positive correlation values ranged from 0.945 (minimum) to 0.999 (maximum). The alpha and theta bands exhibited moderate correlations, ranging from 0.746 (minimum) to 0.996 (maximum). Compared to Kapi music, Neelambari music showed stronger neural synchronization, evidenced by consistently higher correlation values across all frequency bands. This increased connectivity suggests that Neelambari music may profoundly impact brain dynamics, potentially enhancing cognitive or physiological responses.

Conclusions: In conclusion, it has been analyzed that OSA patients have positive brain connectivity while listening to music 1 (Neelambari).