1,721,289 research outputs found

    Measuring frequency domain granger causality for multiple blocks of interacting time series

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    In the past years, several frequency-domain causality measures based on vector autoregressive time series modeling have been suggested to assess directional connectivity in neural systems. The most followed approaches are based on representing the considered set of multiple time series as a realization of two or three vector-valued processes, yielding the so-called Geweke linear feedback measures, or as a realization of multiple scalar-valued processes, yielding popular measures like the directed coherence (DC) and the partial DC (PDC). In the present study, these two approaches are unified and generalized by proposing novel frequency-domain causality measures which extend the existing measures to the analysis of multiple blocks of time series. Specifically, the block DC (bDC) and block PDC (bPDC) extend DC and PDC to vector-valued processes, while their logarithmic counterparts, denoted as multivariate total feedback f^\mathrmm and direct feedback g^\mathrmm, represent into a full multivariate framework the Geweke's measures. Theoretical analysis of the proposed measures shows that they: (i) possess desirable properties of causality measures; (ii) are able to reflect either direct causality (bPDC, g^\mathrmm) or total (direct + indirect) causality (bDC, f^\mathrmm) between time series blocks; (iii) reduce to the DC and PDC measures for scalar-valued processes, and to the Geweke's measures for pairs of processes; (iv) are able to capture internal dependencies between the scalar constituents of the analyzed vector processes. Numerical analysis showed that the proposed measures can be efficiently estimated from short time series, allow to represent in an objective, compact way the information derived from the causal analysis of several pairs of time series, and may detect frequency domain causality more accurately than existing measures. The proposed measures find their natural application in the evaluation of directional interactions in neurophysiological settings where several brain activity signals are simultaneously recorded from multiple regions of interest. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

    Bivariate nonlinear prediction to quantify the strength of complex dynamical interactions in short-term cardiovascular variability

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    A nonlinear prediction method for investigating the dynamic interdependence between short length time series is presented. The method is a generalization to bivariate prediction of the univariate approach based on nearest neighbor local linear approximation. Given the input and output series x and y, the relationship between a pattern of samples of x and a synchronous sample of y was approximated with a linear polynomial whose coefficients were estimated from an equation system including the nearest neighbor patterns in x and the corresponding samples in y. To avoid overfitting and waste of data, the training and testing stages of the prediction were designed through a specific out-of-sample cross validation. The robustness of the method was assessed on short realizations of simulated processes interacting either linearly or nonlinearly. The predictor was then used to characterize the dynamical interaction between the short-term spontaneous fluctuations of heart period (RR interval) and systolic arterial pressure (SAP) in healthy young subjects. In the supine position, the predictability of RR given SAP was low and influenced by nonlinear dynamics. After head-up tilt the predictability increased significantly and was mostly due to linear dynamics. These findings were related to the larger involvement of the baroreflex regulation from SAP to RR in upright than in supine humans, and to the simplification of the RR-SAP coupling occurring with the tilt-induced alteration of the neural regulation of the cardiovascular rhythms. © International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering 2006

    Assessment of granger causality by nonlinear model identification: Application to short-term cardiovascular variability

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    A method for assessing Granger causal relationships in bivariate time series, based on nonlinear autoregressive (NAR) and nonlinear autoregressive exogenous (NARX) models is presented. The method evaluates bilateral interactions between two time series by quantifying the predictability improvement (PI) of the output time series when the dynamics associated with the input time series are included, i.e., moving from NAR to NARX prediction. The NARX model identification was performed by the optimal parameter search (OPS) algorithm, and its results were compared to the least-squares method to determine the most appropriate method to be used for experimental data. The statistical significance of the PI was assessed using a surrogate data technique. The proposed method was tested with simulation examples involving short realizations of linear stochastic processes and nonlinear deterministic signals in which either unidirectional or bidirectional coupling and varying strengths of interactions were imposed. It was found that the OPS-based NARX model was accurate and sensitive in detecting imposed Granger causality conditions. In addition, the OPS-based NARX model was more accurate than the least squares method. Application to the systolic blood pressure and heart rate variability signals demonstrated the feasibility of the method. In particular, we found a bilateral causal relationship between the two signals as evidenced by the significant reduction in the PI values with the NARX model prediction compared to the NAR model prediction, which was also confirmed by the surrogate data analysis. Furthermore, we found significant reduction in the complexity of the dynamics of the two causal pathways of the two signals as the body position was changed from the supine to upright. The proposed is a general method, thus, it can be applied to a wide variety of physiological signals to better understand causality and coupling that may be different between normal and diseased conditions

    Measuring connectivity in linear multivariate processes: Definitions, interpretation, and practical analysis

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    This tutorial paper introduces a common framework for the evaluation of widely used frequency-domain measures of coupling (coherence, partial coherence) and causality (directed coherence, partial directed coherence) from the parametric representation of linear multivariate (MV) processes. After providing a comprehensive time-domain definition of the various forms of connectivity observed in MV processes, we particularize them to MV autoregressive (MVAR) processes and derive the corresponding frequency-domain measures. Then, we discuss the theoretical interpretation of these MVAR-based connectivity measures, showing that each of them reflects a specific time-domain connectivity definition and how this results in the description of peculiar aspects of the information transfer in MV processes. Furthermore, issues related to the practical utilization of these measures on real-time series are pointed out, including MVAR model estimation and significance assessment. Finally, limitations and pitfalls arising from model mis-specification are discussed, indicating possible solutions and providing practical recommendations for a safe computation of the connectivity measures. An example of estimation of the presented measures from multiple EEG signals recorded during a combined visuomotor task is also reported, showing how evaluation of coupling and causality in the frequency domain may help describing specific neurophysiological mechanisms. Copyright © 2012 Luca Faes et al

    Assessing Connectivity in the Presence of Instantaneous Causality

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    This chapter is devoted to a discussion of the impact of instantaneous causality on the computation of frequency domain connectivity measures. Instantaneous causality (IC) refers to interactions between two observed time series which occur within the same time lag
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