Estimating time-varying directed neural networks

Reconstructing the functional network of a neuron cluster is a fundamental step to reveal the complex interactions among neural systems of the brain. Current approaches to reconstruct a network of neurons or neural systems focus on establishing a static network by assuming the neural network structure does not change over time. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to build a time-varying directed network of neurons by using an ordinary differential equation model, which allows us to describe the underlying dynamical mechanism of network connections. The proposed method is demonstrated by estimating a network of wide dynamic range neurons located in the dorsal horn of the rats’ spinal cord in response to pain stimuli applied to the Zusanli acupoint on the right leg. The finite sample performance of the proposed method is also investigated with a simulation study.