entropy-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Information Dynamics in Brain and Physiological Networks

A special issue of Entropy (ISSN 1099-4300). This special issue belongs to the section "Information Theory, Probability and Statistics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2019) | Viewed by 70657

Special Issue Editors

Department of Energy, Information Engineering and Mathematical models (DEIM), University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Interests: time series analysis; information dynamics; network physiology; cardiovascular neuroscience; brain connectivity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
1. Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan, 20097 Milan, Italy
2. Department of Cardiothoracic, Vascular Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, San Donato Milanese, 20097 Milan, Italy
Interests: time series analysis; cardiovascular control; complexity
Dipartimento Interateneo di Fisica, Università di Bari, and INFN Sezione di Bari. 70126 Bari, Italy
Interests: time series analysis; network neuroscience; network physiology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is, nowadays, widely acknowledged that the brain and several other organ systems, including the cardiovascular, respiratory, and muscular systems, among others, exhibit complex dynamic behaviors that result from the combined effects of multiple regulatory mechanisms, coupling effects and feedback interactions, acting in both space and time.

The field of information theory is becoming more and more relevant for the theoretical description and quantitative assessment of the dynamics of the brain and physiological networks, defining concepts, such as those of information generation, storage, transfer, and modification. These concepts are quantified by several information measures (e.g., approximate entropy, conditional entropy, multiscale entropy, transfer entropy, redundancy and synergy, and many others), which are being increasingly used to investigate how physiological dynamics arise from the activity and connectivity of different structural units, and evolve across a variety of physiological states and pathological conditions.

This Special Issue focuses on blending theoretical developments in the new emerging field of information dynamics with innovative applications targeted to the analysis of complex brain and physiological networks in health and disease. To favor this multidisciplinary view, contributions are welcome from different fields, ranging from mathematics and physics to biomedical engineering, neuroscience, and physiology.

Prof. Dr. Luca Faes
Prof. Dr. Alberto Porta
Prof. Dr. Sebastiano Stramaglia
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.

Keywords

  • Dynamical complexity,
  • Multivariate time series analysis,
  • Information storage,
  • Transfer entropy,
  • Redundancy and synergy,
  • Network physiology,
  • Brain connectivity,
  • Cardiovascular oscillations,
  • Neuroscience

 

Published Papers (18 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

10 pages, 3090 KiB  
Article
Functional Linear and Nonlinear Brain–Heart Interplay during Emotional Video Elicitation: A Maximum Information Coefficient Study
by Vincenzo Catrambone, Alberto Greco, Enzo Pasquale Scilingo and Gaetano Valenza
Entropy 2019, 21(9), 892; https://doi.org/10.3390/e21090892 - 14 Sep 2019
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3163
Abstract
Brain and heart continuously interact through anatomical and biochemical connections. Although several brain regions are known to be involved in the autonomic control, the functional brain–heart interplay (BHI) during emotional processing is not fully characterized yet. To this aim, we investigate BHI during [...] Read more.
Brain and heart continuously interact through anatomical and biochemical connections. Although several brain regions are known to be involved in the autonomic control, the functional brain–heart interplay (BHI) during emotional processing is not fully characterized yet. To this aim, we investigate BHI during emotional elicitation in healthy subjects. The functional linear and nonlinear couplings are quantified using the maximum information coefficient calculated between time-varying electroencephalography (EEG) power spectra within the canonical bands ( δ , θ , α , β and γ ), and time-varying low-frequency and high-frequency powers from heartbeat dynamics. Experimental data were gathered from 30 healthy volunteers whose emotions were elicited through pleasant and unpleasant high-arousing videos. Results demonstrate that functional BHI increases during videos with respect to a resting state through EEG oscillations not including the γ band (>30 Hz). Functional linear coupling seems associated with a high-arousing positive elicitation, with preferred EEG oscillations in the θ band ( [ 4 , 8 ) Hz) especially over the left-temporal and parietal cortices. Differential functional nonlinear coupling between emotional valence seems to mainly occur through EEG oscillations in the δ , θ , α bands and sympathovagal dynamics, as well as through δ , α , β oscillations and parasympathetic activity mainly over the right hemisphere. Functional BHI through δ and α oscillations over the prefrontal region seems primarily nonlinear. This study provides novel insights on synchronous heartbeat and cortical dynamics during emotional video elicitation, also suggesting that a nonlinear analysis is needed to fully characterize functional BHI. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Information Dynamics in Brain and Physiological Networks)
Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 1126 KiB  
Article
Synaptic Information Transmission in a Two-State Model of Short-Term Facilitation
by Mehrdad Salmasi, Martin Stemmler, Stefan Glasauer and Alex Loebel
Entropy 2019, 21(8), 756; https://doi.org/10.3390/e21080756 - 02 Aug 2019
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3549
Abstract
Action potentials (spikes) can trigger the release of a neurotransmitter at chemical synapses between neurons. Such release is uncertain, as it occurs only with a certain probability. Moreover, synaptic release can occur independently of an action potential (asynchronous release) and depends on the [...] Read more.
Action potentials (spikes) can trigger the release of a neurotransmitter at chemical synapses between neurons. Such release is uncertain, as it occurs only with a certain probability. Moreover, synaptic release can occur independently of an action potential (asynchronous release) and depends on the history of synaptic activity. We focus here on short-term synaptic facilitation, in which a sequence of action potentials can temporarily increase the release probability of the synapse. In contrast to the phenomenon of short-term depression, quantifying the information transmission in facilitating synapses remains to be done. We find rigorous lower and upper bounds for the rate of information transmission in a model of synaptic facilitation. We treat the synapse as a two-state binary asymmetric channel, in which the arrival of an action potential shifts the synapse to a facilitated state, while in the absence of a spike, the synapse returns to its baseline state. The information bounds are functions of both the asynchronous and synchronous release parameters. If synchronous release facilitates more than asynchronous release, the mutual information rate increases. In contrast, short-term facilitation degrades information transmission when the synchronous release probability is intrinsically high. As synaptic release is energetically expensive, we exploit the information bounds to determine the energy–information trade-off in facilitating synapses. We show that unlike information rate, the energy-normalized information rate is robust with respect to variations in the strength of facilitation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Information Dynamics in Brain and Physiological Networks)
Show Figures

Figure 1

23 pages, 2207 KiB  
Article
Altered Causal Coupling Pathways within the Central-Autonomic-Network in Patients Suffering from Schizophrenia
by Steffen Schulz, Jens Haueisen, Karl-Jürgen Bär and Andreas Voss
Entropy 2019, 21(8), 733; https://doi.org/10.3390/e21080733 - 26 Jul 2019
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3310
Abstract
The multivariate analysis of coupling pathways within physiological (sub)systems focusing on identifying healthy and diseased conditions. In this study, we investigated a part of the central-autonomic-network (CAN) in 17 patients suffering from schizophrenia (SZO) compared to 17 age–gender matched healthy controls (CON) applying [...] Read more.
The multivariate analysis of coupling pathways within physiological (sub)systems focusing on identifying healthy and diseased conditions. In this study, we investigated a part of the central-autonomic-network (CAN) in 17 patients suffering from schizophrenia (SZO) compared to 17 age–gender matched healthy controls (CON) applying linear and nonlinear causal coupling approaches (normalized short time partial directed coherence, multivariate transfer entropy). Therefore, from all subjects continuous heart rate (successive beat-to-beat intervals, BBI), synchronized maximum successive systolic blood pressure amplitudes (SYS), synchronized calibrated respiratory inductive plethysmography signal (respiratory frequency, RESP), and the power PEEG of frontal EEG activity were investigated for 15 min under resting conditions. The CAN revealed a bidirectional coupling structure, with central driving towards blood pressure (SYS), and respiratory driving towards PEEG. The central-cardiac, central-vascular, and central-respiratory couplings are more dominated by linear regulatory mechanisms than nonlinear ones. The CAN showed significantly weaker nonlinear central-cardiovascular and central-cardiorespiratory coupling pathways, and significantly stronger linear central influence on the vascular system, and on the other hand significantly stronger linear respiratory and cardiac influences on central activity in SZO compared to CON, and thus, providing better understanding of the interrelationship of central and autonomic regulatory mechanisms in schizophrenia might be useful as a biomarker of this disease. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Information Dynamics in Brain and Physiological Networks)
Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 4005 KiB  
Article
Refined Multiscale Entropy Using Fuzzy Metrics: Validation and Application to Nociception Assessment
by José F. Valencia, Jose D. Bolaños, Montserrat Vallverdú, Erik W. Jensen, Alberto Porta and Pedro L. Gambús
Entropy 2019, 21(7), 706; https://doi.org/10.3390/e21070706 - 18 Jul 2019
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3369
Abstract
The refined multiscale entropy (RMSE) approach is commonly applied to assess complexity as a function of the time scale. RMSE is normally based on the computation of sample entropy (SampEn) estimating complexity as conditional entropy. However, SampEn is dependent on the length and [...] Read more.
The refined multiscale entropy (RMSE) approach is commonly applied to assess complexity as a function of the time scale. RMSE is normally based on the computation of sample entropy (SampEn) estimating complexity as conditional entropy. However, SampEn is dependent on the length and standard deviation of the data. Recently, fuzzy entropy (FuzEn) has been proposed, including several refinements, as an alternative to counteract these limitations. In this work, FuzEn, translated FuzEn (TFuzEn), translated-reflected FuzEn (TRFuzEn), inherent FuzEn (IFuzEn), and inherent translated FuzEn (ITFuzEn) were exploited as entropy-based measures in the computation of RMSE and their performance was compared to that of SampEn. FuzEn metrics were applied to synthetic time series of different lengths to evaluate the consistency of the different approaches. In addition, electroencephalograms of patients under sedation-analgesia procedure were analyzed based on the patient’s response after the application of painful stimulation, such as nail bed compression or endoscopy tube insertion. Significant differences in FuzEn metrics were observed over simulations and real data as a function of the data length and the pain responses. Findings indicated that FuzEn, when exploited in RMSE applications, showed similar behavior to SampEn in long series, but its consistency was better than that of SampEn in short series both over simulations and real data. Conversely, its variants should be utilized with more caution, especially whether processes exhibit an important deterministic component and/or in nociception prediction at long scales. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Information Dynamics in Brain and Physiological Networks)
Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 4688 KiB  
Article
Variability and Reproducibility of Directed and Undirected Functional MRI Connectomes in the Human Brain
by Allegra Conti, Andrea Duggento, Maria Guerrisi, Luca Passamonti, Iole Indovina and Nicola Toschi
Entropy 2019, 21(7), 661; https://doi.org/10.3390/e21070661 - 06 Jul 2019
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4203
Abstract
A growing number of studies are focusing on methods to estimate and analyze the functional connectome of the human brain. Graph theoretical measures are commonly employed to interpret and synthesize complex network-related information. While resting state functional MRI (rsfMRI) is often employed in [...] Read more.
A growing number of studies are focusing on methods to estimate and analyze the functional connectome of the human brain. Graph theoretical measures are commonly employed to interpret and synthesize complex network-related information. While resting state functional MRI (rsfMRI) is often employed in this context, it is known to exhibit poor reproducibility, a key factor which is commonly neglected in typical cohort studies using connectomics-related measures as biomarkers. We aimed to fill this gap by analyzing and comparing the inter- and intra-subject variability of connectivity matrices, as well as graph-theoretical measures, in a large (n = 1003) database of young healthy subjects which underwent four consecutive rsfMRI sessions. We analyzed both directed (Granger Causality and Transfer Entropy) and undirected (Pearson Correlation and Partial Correlation) time-series association measures and related global and local graph-theoretical measures. While matrix weights exhibit a higher reproducibility in undirected, as opposed to directed, methods, this difference disappears when looking at global graph metrics and, in turn, exhibits strong regional dependence in local graphs metrics. Our results warrant caution in the interpretation of connectivity studies, and serve as a benchmark for future investigations by providing quantitative estimates for the inter- and intra-subject variabilities in both directed and undirected connectomic measures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Information Dynamics in Brain and Physiological Networks)
Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 1340 KiB  
Article
A Parsimonious Granger Causality Formulation for Capturing Arbitrarily Long Multivariate Associations
by Andrea Duggento, Gaetano Valenza, Luca Passamonti, Salvatore Nigro, Maria Giovanna Bianco, Maria Guerrisi, Riccardo Barbieri and Nicola Toschi
Entropy 2019, 21(7), 629; https://doi.org/10.3390/e21070629 - 26 Jun 2019
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3399
Abstract
High-frequency neuroelectric signals like electroencephalography (EEG) or magnetoencephalography (MEG) provide a unique opportunity to infer causal relationships between local activity of brain areas. While causal inference is commonly performed through classical Granger causality (GC) based on multivariate autoregressive models, this method may encounter [...] Read more.
High-frequency neuroelectric signals like electroencephalography (EEG) or magnetoencephalography (MEG) provide a unique opportunity to infer causal relationships between local activity of brain areas. While causal inference is commonly performed through classical Granger causality (GC) based on multivariate autoregressive models, this method may encounter important limitations (e.g., data paucity) in the case of high dimensional data from densely connected systems like the brain. Additionally, physiological signals often present long-range dependencies which commonly require high autoregressive model orders/number of parameters. We present a generalization of autoregressive models for GC estimation based on Wiener–Volterra decompositions with Laguerre polynomials as basis functions. In this basis, the introduction of only one additional global parameter allows to capture arbitrary long dependencies without increasing model order, hence retaining model simplicity, linearity and ease of parameters estimation. We validate our method in synthetic data generated from families of complex, densely connected networks and demonstrate superior performance as compared to classical GC. Additionally, we apply our framework to studying the directed human brain connectome through MEG data from 89 subjects drawn from the Human Connectome Project (HCP) database, showing that it is able to reproduce current knowledge as well as to uncover previously unknown directed influences between cortical and limbic brain regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Information Dynamics in Brain and Physiological Networks)
Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 1073 KiB  
Article
Kernel Methods for Nonlinear Connectivity Detection
by Lucas Massaroppe and Luiz A. Baccalá
Entropy 2019, 21(6), 610; https://doi.org/10.3390/e21060610 - 20 Jun 2019
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2761
Abstract
In this paper, we show that the presence of nonlinear coupling between time series may be detected using kernel feature space F representations while dispensing with the need to go back to solve the pre-image problem to gauge model adequacy. This is done [...] Read more.
In this paper, we show that the presence of nonlinear coupling between time series may be detected using kernel feature space F representations while dispensing with the need to go back to solve the pre-image problem to gauge model adequacy. This is done by showing that the kernelized auto/cross sequences in F can be computed from the model rather than from prediction residuals in the original data space X . Furthermore, this allows for reducing the connectivity inference problem to that of fitting a consistent linear model in F that works even in the case of nonlinear interactions in the X -space which ordinary linear models may fail to capture. We further illustrate the fact that the resulting F -space parameter asymptotics provide reliable means of space model diagnostics in this space, and provide straightforward Granger connectivity inference tools even for relatively short time series records as opposed to other kernel based methods available in the literature. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Information Dynamics in Brain and Physiological Networks)
Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 3522 KiB  
Article
Entropy Measures as Descriptors to Identify Apneas in Rheoencephalographic Signals
by Carmen González, Erik Jensen, Pedro Gambús and Montserrat Vallverdú
Entropy 2019, 21(6), 605; https://doi.org/10.3390/e21060605 - 18 Jun 2019
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3402
Abstract
Rheoencephalography (REG) is a simple and inexpensive technique that intends to monitor cerebral blood flow (CBF), but its ability to reflect CBF changes has not been extensively proved. Based on the hypothesis that alterations in CBF during apnea should be reflected in REG [...] Read more.
Rheoencephalography (REG) is a simple and inexpensive technique that intends to monitor cerebral blood flow (CBF), but its ability to reflect CBF changes has not been extensively proved. Based on the hypothesis that alterations in CBF during apnea should be reflected in REG signals under the form of increased complexity, several entropy metrics were assessed for REG analysis during apnea and resting periods in 16 healthy subjects: approximate entropy (ApEn), sample entropy (SampEn), fuzzy entropy (FuzzyEn), corrected conditional entropy (CCE) and Shannon entropy (SE). To compute these entropy metrics, a set of parameters must be defined a priori, such as, for example, the embedding dimension m, and the tolerance threshold r. A thorough analysis of the effects of parameter selection in the entropy metrics was performed, looking for the values optimizing differences between apnea and baseline signals. All entropy metrics, except SE, provided higher values for apnea periods (p-values < 0.025). FuzzyEn outperformed all other metrics, providing the lowest p-value (p = 0.0001), allowing to conclude that REG signals during apnea have higher complexity than in resting periods. Those findings suggest that REG signals reflect CBF changes provoked by apneas, even though further studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Information Dynamics in Brain and Physiological Networks)
Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 5480 KiB  
Article
Information-Domain Analysis of Cardiovascular Complexity: Night and Day Modulations of Entropy and the Effects of Hypertension
by Paolo Castiglioni, Gianfranco Parati and Andrea Faini
Entropy 2019, 21(6), 550; https://doi.org/10.3390/e21060550 - 31 May 2019
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3300
Abstract
Multiscale entropy (MSE) provides information-domain measures of the systems’ complexity. The increasing interest in MSE of the cardiovascular system lies in the possibility of detecting interactions with other regulatory systems, as higher neural networks. However, most of the MSE studies considered the heart-rate [...] Read more.
Multiscale entropy (MSE) provides information-domain measures of the systems’ complexity. The increasing interest in MSE of the cardiovascular system lies in the possibility of detecting interactions with other regulatory systems, as higher neural networks. However, most of the MSE studies considered the heart-rate (HR) series only and a limited number of scales: actually, an integrated approach investigating HR and blood-pressure (BP) entropies and cross-entropy over the range of scales of traditional spectral analyses is missing. Therefore, we aim to highlight influences of higher brain centers and of the autonomic control on multiscale entropy and cross-entropy of HR and BP over a broad range of scales, by comparing different behavioral states over 24 h and by evaluating the influence of hypertension, which reduces the autonomic control of BP. From 24-h BP recordings in eight normotensive and eight hypertensive participants, we selected subperiods during daytime activities and nighttime sleep. In each subperiod, we derived a series of 16,384 consecutive beats for systolic BP (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP), and pulse interval (PI). We applied a modified MSE method to obtain robust estimates up to time scales of 334 s, covering the traditional frequency bands of spectral analysis, for three embedding dimensions and compared groups (rank-sum test) and conditions (signed-rank test) at each scale. Results demonstrated night-and-day differences at scales associable with modulations in vagal activity, in respiratory mechanics, and in local vascular regulation, and reduced SBP-PI cross-entropy in hypertension, possibly representing a loss of complexity due to an impaired baroreflex sensitivity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Information Dynamics in Brain and Physiological Networks)
Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 1362 KiB  
Article
Multiscale Information Decomposition Dissects Control Mechanisms of Heart Rate Variability at Rest and During Physiological Stress
by Jana Krohova, Luca Faes, Barbora Czippelova, Zuzana Turianikova, Nikoleta Mazgutova, Riccardo Pernice, Alessandro Busacca, Daniele Marinazzo, Sebastiano Stramaglia and Michal Javorka
Entropy 2019, 21(5), 526; https://doi.org/10.3390/e21050526 - 24 May 2019
Cited by 27 | Viewed by 4540
Abstract
Heart rate variability (HRV; variability of the RR interval of the electrocardiogram) results from the activity of several coexisting control mechanisms, which involve the influence of respiration (RESP) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) oscillations operating across multiple temporal scales and changing in different [...] Read more.
Heart rate variability (HRV; variability of the RR interval of the electrocardiogram) results from the activity of several coexisting control mechanisms, which involve the influence of respiration (RESP) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) oscillations operating across multiple temporal scales and changing in different physiological states. In this study, multiscale information decomposition is used to dissect the physiological mechanisms related to the genesis of HRV in 78 young volunteers monitored at rest and during postural and mental stress evoked by head-up tilt (HUT) and mental arithmetics (MA). After representing RR, RESP and SBP at different time scales through a recently proposed method based on multivariate state space models, the joint information transfer T RESP , SBP RR is decomposed into unique, redundant and synergistic components, describing the strength of baroreflex modulation independent of respiration ( U SBP RR ), nonbaroreflex ( U RESP RR ) and baroreflex-mediated ( R RESP , SBP RR ) respiratory influences, and simultaneous presence of baroreflex and nonbaroreflex respiratory influences ( S RESP , SBP RR ), respectively. We find that fast (short time scale) HRV oscillations—respiratory sinus arrhythmia—originate from the coexistence of baroreflex and nonbaroreflex (central) mechanisms at rest, with a stronger baroreflex involvement during HUT. Focusing on slower HRV oscillations, the baroreflex origin is dominant and MA leads to its higher involvement. Respiration influences independent on baroreflex are present at long time scales, and are enhanced during HUT. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Information Dynamics in Brain and Physiological Networks)
Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 1169 KiB  
Article
Communicability Characterization of Structural DWI Subcortical Networks in Alzheimer’s Disease
by Eufemia Lella, Nicola Amoroso, Domenico Diacono, Angela Lombardi, Tommaso Maggipinto, Alfonso Monaco, Roberto Bellotti and Sabina Tangaro
Entropy 2019, 21(5), 475; https://doi.org/10.3390/e21050475 - 06 May 2019
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3884
Abstract
In this paper, we investigate the connectivity alterations of the subcortical brain network due to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Mostly, the literature investigated AD connectivity abnormalities at the whole brain level or at the cortex level, while very few studies focused on the sub-network [...] Read more.
In this paper, we investigate the connectivity alterations of the subcortical brain network due to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Mostly, the literature investigated AD connectivity abnormalities at the whole brain level or at the cortex level, while very few studies focused on the sub-network composed only by the subcortical regions, especially using diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) data. In this work, we examine a mixed cohort including 46 healthy controls (HC) and 40 AD patients from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) data set. We reconstruct the brain connectome through the use of state of the art tractography algorithms and we propose a method based on graph communicability to enhance the information content of subcortical brain regions in discriminating AD. We develop a classification framework, achieving 77% of area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve in the binary discrimination AD vs. HC only using a 12 × 12 subcortical features matrix. We find some interesting AD-related connectivity patterns highlighting that subcortical regions tend to increase their communicability through cortical regions to compensate the physical connectivity reduction between them due to AD. This study also suggests that AD connectivity alterations mostly regard the inter-connectivity between subcortical and cortical regions rather than the intra-subcortical connectivity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Information Dynamics in Brain and Physiological Networks)
Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 4688 KiB  
Article
Time-Frequency Analysis of Cardiovascular and Cardiorespiratory Interactions During Orthostatic Stress by Extended Partial Directed Coherence
by Sonia Charleston-Villalobos, Sina Reulecke, Andreas Voss, Mahmood R. Azimi-Sadjadi, Ramón González-Camarena, Mercedes J. Gaitán-González, Jesús A. González-Hermosillo, Guadalupe Hernández-Pacheco, Steffen Schulz and Tomás Aljama-Corrales
Entropy 2019, 21(5), 468; https://doi.org/10.3390/e21050468 - 05 May 2019
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2870
Abstract
In this study, the linear method of extended partial directed coherence (ePDC) was applied to establish the temporal dynamic behavior of cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory interactions during orthostatic stress at a 70° head-up tilt (HUT) test on young age-matched healthy subjects and patients with [...] Read more.
In this study, the linear method of extended partial directed coherence (ePDC) was applied to establish the temporal dynamic behavior of cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory interactions during orthostatic stress at a 70° head-up tilt (HUT) test on young age-matched healthy subjects and patients with orthostatic intolerance (OI), both male and female. Twenty 5-min windows were used to analyze the minute-wise progression of interactions from 5 min in a supine position (baseline, BL) until 18 min of the orthostatic phase (OP) without including pre-syncopal phases. Gender differences in controls were present in cardiorespiratory interactions during OP without compromised autonomic regulation. However in patients, analysis by ePDC revealed considerable dynamic alterations within cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory interactions over the temporal course during the HUT test. Considering the young female patients with OI, the information flow from heart rate to systolic blood pressure (mechanical modulation) was already increased before the tilt-up, the information flow from systolic blood pressure to heart rate (neural baroreflex) increased during OP, while the information flow from respiration to heart rate (respiratory sinus arrhythmia) decreased during the complete HUT test. Findings revealed impaired cardiovascular interactions in patients with orthostatic intolerance and confirmed the usefulness of ePDC for causality analysis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Information Dynamics in Brain and Physiological Networks)
Show Figures

Figure 1

38 pages, 3517 KiB  
Article
The Understanding Capacity and Information Dynamics in the Human Brain
by Yan M. Yufik
Entropy 2019, 21(3), 308; https://doi.org/10.3390/e21030308 - 21 Mar 2019
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4903
Abstract
This article proposes a theory of neuronal processes underlying cognition, focusing on the mechanisms of understanding in the human brain. Understanding is a product of mental modeling. The paper argues that mental modeling is a form of information production inside the neuronal system [...] Read more.
This article proposes a theory of neuronal processes underlying cognition, focusing on the mechanisms of understanding in the human brain. Understanding is a product of mental modeling. The paper argues that mental modeling is a form of information production inside the neuronal system extending the reach of human cognition “beyond the information given” (Bruner, J.S., Beyond the Information Given, 1973). Mental modeling enables forms of learning and prediction (learning with understanding and prediction via explanation) that are unique to humans, allowing robust performance under unfamiliar conditions having no precedents in the past history. The proposed theory centers on the notions of self-organization and emergent properties of collective behavior in the neuronal substrate. The theory motivates new approaches in the design of intelligent artifacts (machine understanding) that are complementary to those underlying the technology of machine learning. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Information Dynamics in Brain and Physiological Networks)
Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 2145 KiB  
Article
Information Dynamics of the Brain, Cardiovascular and Respiratory Network during Different Levels of Mental Stress
by Matteo Zanetti, Luca Faes, Giandomenico Nollo, Mariolino De Cecco, Riccardo Pernice, Luca Maule, Marco Pertile and Alberto Fornaser
Entropy 2019, 21(3), 275; https://doi.org/10.3390/e21030275 - 13 Mar 2019
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 4317
Abstract
In this study, an analysis of brain, cardiovascular and respiratory dynamics was conducted combining information-theoretic measures with the Network Physiology paradigm during different levels of mental stress. Starting from low invasive recordings of electroencephalographic, electrocardiographic, respiratory, and blood volume pulse signals, the dynamical [...] Read more.
In this study, an analysis of brain, cardiovascular and respiratory dynamics was conducted combining information-theoretic measures with the Network Physiology paradigm during different levels of mental stress. Starting from low invasive recordings of electroencephalographic, electrocardiographic, respiratory, and blood volume pulse signals, the dynamical activity of seven physiological systems was probed with one-second time resolution measuring the time series of the δ , θ , α and β brain wave amplitudes, the cardiac period (RR interval), the respiratory amplitude, and the duration of blood pressure wave propagation (pulse arrival time, PAT). Synchronous 5-min windows of these time series, obtained from 18 subjects during resting wakefulness (REST), mental stress induced by mental arithmetic (MA) and sustained attention induced by serious game (SG), were taken to describe the dynamics of the nodes composing the observed physiological network. Network activity and connectivity were then assessed in the framework of information dynamics computing the new information generated by each node, the information dynamically stored in it, and the information transferred to it from the other network nodes. Moreover, the network topology was investigated using directed measures of conditional information transfer and assessing their statistical significance. We found that all network nodes dynamically produce and store significant amounts of information, with the new information being prevalent in the brain systems and the information storage being prevalent in the peripheral systems. The transition from REST to MA was associated with an increase of the new information produced by the respiratory signal time series (RESP), and that from MA to SG with a decrease of the new information produced by PAT. Each network node received a significant amount of information from the other nodes, with the highest amount transferred to RR and the lowest transferred to δ , θ , α and β . The topology of the physiological network underlying such information transfer was node- and state-dependent, with the peripheral subnetwork showing interactions from RR to PAT and between RESP and RR, PAT consistently across states, the brain subnetwork resulting more connected during MA, and the subnetwork of brain–peripheral interactions involving different brain rhythms in the three states and resulting primarily activated during MA. These results have both physiological relevance as regards the interpretation of central and autonomic effects on cardiovascular and respiratory variability, and practical relevance as regards the identification of features useful for the automatic distinction of different mental states. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Information Dynamics in Brain and Physiological Networks)
Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 41767 KiB  
Article
Macroscopic Cluster Organizations Change the Complexity of Neural Activity
by Jihoon Park, Koki Ichinose, Yuji Kawai, Junichi Suzuki, Minoru Asada and Hiroki Mori
Entropy 2019, 21(2), 214; https://doi.org/10.3390/e21020214 - 23 Feb 2019
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4747
Abstract
In this study, simulations are conducted using a network model to examine how the macroscopic network in the brain is related to the complexity of activity for each region. The network model is composed of multiple neuron groups, each of which consists of [...] Read more.
In this study, simulations are conducted using a network model to examine how the macroscopic network in the brain is related to the complexity of activity for each region. The network model is composed of multiple neuron groups, each of which consists of spiking neurons with different topological properties of a macroscopic network based on the Watts and Strogatz model. The complexity of spontaneous activity is analyzed using multiscale entropy, and the structural properties of the network are analyzed using complex network theory. Experimental results show that a macroscopic structure with high clustering and high degree centrality increases the firing rates of neurons in a neuron group and enhances intraconnections from the excitatory neurons to inhibitory neurons in a neuron group. As a result, the intensity of the specific frequency components of neural activity increases. This decreases the complexity of neural activity. Finally, we discuss the research relevance of the complexity of the brain activity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Information Dynamics in Brain and Physiological Networks)
Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 491 KiB  
Article
Entropic Approach to the Detection of Crucial Events
by Garland Culbreth, Bruce J. West and Paolo Grigolini
Entropy 2019, 21(2), 178; https://doi.org/10.3390/e21020178 - 14 Feb 2019
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4370
Abstract
In this paper, we establish a clear distinction between two processes yielding anomalous diffusion and 1 / f noise. The first process is called Stationary Fractional Brownian Motion (SFBM) and is characterized by the use of stationary correlation functions. The second process rests [...] Read more.
In this paper, we establish a clear distinction between two processes yielding anomalous diffusion and 1 / f noise. The first process is called Stationary Fractional Brownian Motion (SFBM) and is characterized by the use of stationary correlation functions. The second process rests on the action of crucial events generating ergodicity breakdown and aging effects. We refer to the latter as Aging Fractional Brownian Motion (AFBM). To settle the confusion between these different forms of Fractional Brownian Motion (FBM) we use an entropic approach properly updated to incorporate the recent advances of biology and psychology sciences on cognition. We show that although the joint action of crucial and non-crucial events may have the effect of making the crucial events virtually invisible, the entropic approach allows us to detect their action. The results of this paper lead us to the conclusion that the communication between the heart and the brain is accomplished by AFBM processes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Information Dynamics in Brain and Physiological Networks)
Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 1235 KiB  
Article
Paced Breathing Increases the Redundancy of Cardiorespiratory Control in Healthy Individuals and Chronic Heart Failure Patients
by Alberto Porta, Roberto Maestri, Vlasta Bari, Beatrice De Maria, Beatrice Cairo, Emanuele Vaini, Maria Teresa La Rovere and Gian Domenico Pinna
Entropy 2018, 20(12), 949; https://doi.org/10.3390/e20120949 - 10 Dec 2018
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3562
Abstract
Synergy and redundancy are concepts that suggest, respectively, adaptability and fault tolerance of systems with complex behavior. This study computes redundancy/synergy in bivariate systems formed by a target X and a driver Y according to the predictive information decomposition approach and partial information [...] Read more.
Synergy and redundancy are concepts that suggest, respectively, adaptability and fault tolerance of systems with complex behavior. This study computes redundancy/synergy in bivariate systems formed by a target X and a driver Y according to the predictive information decomposition approach and partial information decomposition framework based on the minimal mutual information principle. The two approaches assess the redundancy/synergy of past of X and Y in reducing the uncertainty of the current state of X. The methods were applied to evaluate the interactions between heart and respiration in healthy young subjects (n = 19) during controlled breathing at 10, 15 and 20 breaths/minute and in two groups of chronic heart failure patients during paced respiration at 6 (n = 9) and 15 (n = 20) breaths/minutes from spontaneous beat-to-beat fluctuations of heart period and respiratory signal. Both methods suggested that slowing respiratory rate below the spontaneous frequency increases redundancy of cardiorespiratory control in both healthy and pathological groups, thus possibly improving fault tolerance of the cardiorespiratory control. The two methods provide markers complementary to respiratory sinus arrhythmia and the strength of the linear coupling between heart period variability and respiration in describing the physiology of the cardiorespiratory reflex suitable to be exploited in various pathophysiological settings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Information Dynamics in Brain and Physiological Networks)
Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 2633 KiB  
Article
Interaction Information Along Lifespan of the Resting Brain Dynamics Reveals a Major Redundant Role of the Default Mode Network
by Borja Camino-Pontes, Ibai Diez, Antonio Jimenez-Marin, Javier Rasero, Asier Erramuzpe, Paolo Bonifazi, Sebastiano Stramaglia, Stephan Swinnen and Jesus M. Cortes
Entropy 2018, 20(10), 742; https://doi.org/10.3390/e20100742 - 28 Sep 2018
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 5808
Abstract
Interaction Information (II) generalizes the univariate Shannon entropy to triplets of variables, allowing the detection of redundant (R) or synergetic (S) interactions in dynamical networks. Here, we calculated II from functional magnetic resonance imaging data and asked whether R or S vary across [...] Read more.
Interaction Information (II) generalizes the univariate Shannon entropy to triplets of variables, allowing the detection of redundant (R) or synergetic (S) interactions in dynamical networks. Here, we calculated II from functional magnetic resonance imaging data and asked whether R or S vary across brain regions and along lifespan. Preserved along lifespan, we found high overlapping between the pattern of high R and the default mode network, whereas high values of S were overlapping with different cognitive domains, such as spatial and temporal memory, emotion processing and motor skills. Moreover, we have found a robust balance between R and S among different age intervals, indicating informational compensatory mechanisms in brain networks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Information Dynamics in Brain and Physiological Networks)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop