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Network- and Information-Theoretic Approaches in the Study of Action and Perception

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 August 2025 | Viewed by 667

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
Interests: computational neuroscience; neural data science; motor control; decision making; multisensory integration; neuroimaging; brain/body machine interface; biomedical signal processing; machine learning

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Guest Editor Assistant
School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
Interests: motion analysis; data analysis; motor learning and motor control; neuroscience; complex systems

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Human and animal adaptive behaviour is underpinned by the processing of information to translate sensory inputs from the external world into effective actions. From a computational perspective, the study of the neural mechanisms underlying this complex operation can be facilitated using mathematical tools that quantify information processing in biological systems and characterise the dynamic relations between system elements (molecules, cells, brain areas, etc.). Information and network theories provide useful measures and analytical approaches to tackle such a research problem. Recent advances in these fields and their joint application to model neurobiological signals and systems hold promise for a better understanding of the perception–action cycle and the neurobiological processes involved from both theoretical and experimental viewpoints.

This Special Issue aims to be a forum for the presentation of information and/or network theory-based approaches to study perception and action across biological systems. We welcome the submission of novel techniques, algorithms, or models as well as the application of existing approaches to experimental neurobiological and behavioural data. 

Dr. Ioannis Delis
Guest Editor

Dr. David O’Reilly
Guest Editor Assistant

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

  • synergy
  • redundancy
  • encoding
  • decoding
  • brain networks
  • muscle networks
  • interaction information
  • population coding
  • EEG
  • EMG

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

40 pages, 10629 KiB  
Article
Methods for Brain Connectivity Analysis with Applications to Rat Local Field Potential Recordings
by Anass B. El-Yaagoubi, Sipan Aslan, Farah Gomawi, Paolo V. Redondo, Sarbojit Roy, Malik S. Sultan, Mara S. Talento, Francine T. Tarrazona, Haibo Wu, Keiland W. Cooper, Norbert J. Fortin and Hernando Ombao
Entropy 2025, 27(4), 328; https://doi.org/10.3390/e27040328 - 21 Mar 2025
Viewed by 323
Abstract
Modeling the brain dependence network is central to understanding underlying neural mechanisms such as perception, action, and memory. In this study, we present a broad range of statistical methods for analyzing dependence in a brain network. Leveraging a combination of classical and cutting-edge [...] Read more.
Modeling the brain dependence network is central to understanding underlying neural mechanisms such as perception, action, and memory. In this study, we present a broad range of statistical methods for analyzing dependence in a brain network. Leveraging a combination of classical and cutting-edge approaches, we analyze multivariate hippocampal local field potential (LFP) time series data concentrating on the encoding of nonspatial olfactory information in rats. We present the strengths and limitations of each method in capturing neural dynamics and connectivity. Our analysis begins with exploratory techniques, including correlation, partial correlation, spectral matrices, and coherence, to establish foundational connectivity insights. We then investigate advanced methods such as Granger causality (GC), robust canonical coherence analysis, spectral transfer entropy (STE), and wavelet coherence to capture dynamic and nonlinear interactions. Additionally, we investigate the utility of topological data analysis (TDA) to extract multi-scale topological features and explore deep learning-based canonical correlation frameworks for connectivity modeling. This comprehensive approach offers an introduction to the state-of-the-art techniques for the analysis of dependence networks, emphasizing the unique strengths of various methodologies, addressing computational challenges, and paving the way for future research. Full article
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