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Brain Connectivity Complex Systems

A special issue of Entropy (ISSN 1099-4300). This special issue belongs to the section "Entropy and Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2022) | Viewed by 6026

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Quantitative Psychology Section. Faculty of Psychology. Institute of Neuroscience. UB Institute of Complex Systems. University of Barcelona, Barcelona, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain
Interests: statistics; multivariate data analysis; structural equation models; quantitative and computation; quantitative neuroscience

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Guest Editor
Professor of Condensed Matter Physics, Departament de Fisica de la Materia Condensada / Institute of Complex Sytems Universitat de Barcelona, Spain
Interests: statistical physics; complex systems; complex networks

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, many papers have proposed the study of brain connectivity networks that are derived from the behaviour of many types of brain signals. The current proposal is based on the fact that the properties of the connectivity networks, inferred from the various options of the expert systems, can represent patterns of brain behaviour. This approach is based on the concept of the brain as a complex system in which the inter-relationships (edges) between various areas of the brain (nodes) can be modeled as a complex network in an activation situation, that is, when solving some cognitive task, or even at rest. The brain functional network can be associated with various states of brain function. From this perspective, it would be feasible to study complexity as a discriminating factor between, for example, clinical populations or between different differential states within the same population. In turn, we can then describe evolutionary states in a healthy population or under various diagnostic effects, for example, by studying the healthy aging process or the aging effect itself in populations with compromised intellectual capacities. On the other hand, the relationship between these connectivity patterns can be analysed with various representative variables of different states and circumstances of people, such as evaluations of quality of life or moods. Similarly, these types of patterns can be analysed from the perspective of their possible role as a biomarker of different risk states for the onset of disease or as a complementary element to the diagnostic processes.

This monograph aims to provide some reflections and proposals around this field of research, as well as various applications in the study of brain signals, particularly by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in general studies and by using maps (whole brain) or selecting specific areas (regions of interest) with neurofunctional or neurostructural interest. We encourage the submission of manuscripts that compare the performance of approaches to these problems using entropic and other methods.

Prof. Dr. Joan Guàrdia-Olmos
Prof. Albert Diaz-Guilera
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Entropy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

17 pages, 1095 KiB  
Article
How the Brain Becomes the Mind: Can Thermodynamics Explain the Emergence and Nature of Emotions?
by Éva Déli, James F. Peters and Zoltán Kisvárday
Entropy 2022, 24(10), 1498; https://doi.org/10.3390/e24101498 - 20 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 5376
Abstract
The neural systems’ electric activities are fundamental for the phenomenology of consciousness. Sensory perception triggers an information/energy exchange with the environment, but the brain’s recurrent activations maintain a resting state with constant parameters. Therefore, perception forms a closed thermodynamic cycle. In physics, the [...] Read more.
The neural systems’ electric activities are fundamental for the phenomenology of consciousness. Sensory perception triggers an information/energy exchange with the environment, but the brain’s recurrent activations maintain a resting state with constant parameters. Therefore, perception forms a closed thermodynamic cycle. In physics, the Carnot engine is an ideal thermodynamic cycle that converts heat from a hot reservoir into work, or inversely, requires work to transfer heat from a low- to a high-temperature reservoir (the reversed Carnot cycle). We analyze the high entropy brain by the endothermic reversed Carnot cycle. Its irreversible activations provide temporal directionality for future orientation. A flexible transfer between neural states inspires openness and creativity. In contrast, the low entropy resting state parallels reversible activations, which impose past focus via repetitive thinking, remorse, and regret. The exothermic Carnot cycle degrades mental energy. Therefore, the brain’s energy/information balance formulates motivation, sensed as position or negative emotions. Our work provides an analytical perspective of positive and negative emotions and spontaneous behavior from the free energy principle. Furthermore, electrical activities, thoughts, and beliefs lend themselves to a temporal organization, an orthogonal condition to physical systems. Here, we suggest that an experimental validation of the thermodynamic origin of emotions might inspire better treatment options for mental diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Brain Connectivity Complex Systems)
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