Parameter Sensitivity and Experimental Validation for Fractional-Order Dynamical Modeling of Neurovascular Coupling

<italic>Goal:</italic> Modeling neurovascular coupling is very important to understand brain functions, yet challenging due to the complexity of the involved phenomena. An alternative approach was recently proposed where the framework of fractional-order modeling is employed to character...

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Main Authors: Zehor Belkhatir, Fahd Alhazmi, Mohamed A. Bahloul, Taous-Meriem Laleg-Kirati
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IEEE 2022-01-01
Series:IEEE Open Journal of Engineering in Medicine and Biology
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Online Access:https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9756937/
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author Zehor Belkhatir
Fahd Alhazmi
Mohamed A. Bahloul
Taous-Meriem Laleg-Kirati
author_facet Zehor Belkhatir
Fahd Alhazmi
Mohamed A. Bahloul
Taous-Meriem Laleg-Kirati
author_sort Zehor Belkhatir
collection DOAJ
description <italic>Goal:</italic> Modeling neurovascular coupling is very important to understand brain functions, yet challenging due to the complexity of the involved phenomena. An alternative approach was recently proposed where the framework of fractional-order modeling is employed to characterize the complex phenomena underlying the neurovascular. Due to its nonlocal property, a fractional derivative is suitable for modeling delayed and power-law phenomena. <italic>Methods:</italic> In this study, we analyze and validate a fractional-order model, which characterizes the neurovascular coupling mechanism. To show the added value of the fractional-order parameters of the proposed model, we perform a parameter sensitivity analysis of the fractional model compared to its integer counterpart. Moreover, the model was validated using neural activity-CBF data related to both event and block design experiments that were acquired using electrophysiology and laser Doppler flowmetry recordings, respectively. <italic>Results:</italic> The validation results show the aptitude and flexibility of the fractional-order paradigm in fitting a more comprehensive range of well-shaped CBF response behaviors while maintaining a low model complexity. Comparison with the standard integer-order models shows the added value of the fractional-order parameters in capturing various key determinants of the cerebral hemody-namic response, e.g., post-stimulus undershoot. This investigation authenticates the ability and adaptability of the fractional-order framework to characterize a wider range of well-shaped cerebral blood flow responses while preserving low model complexity through a series of unconstrained and constrained optimizations. <italic>Conclusions:</italic> The analysis of the proposed fractional-order model demonstrates that the proposed framework yields a powerful tool for a flexible characterization of the neurovascular coupling mechanism.
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spelling doaj-art-0f4e8ce4692449819cebd49deba4458c2025-08-20T03:30:52ZengIEEEIEEE Open Journal of Engineering in Medicine and Biology2644-12762022-01-013697710.1109/OJEMB.2022.31672819756937Parameter Sensitivity and Experimental Validation for Fractional-Order Dynamical Modeling of Neurovascular CouplingZehor Belkhatir0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7277-3895Fahd Alhazmi1Mohamed A. Bahloul2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4510-8029Taous-Meriem Laleg-Kirati3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5944-0121School of Engineering and Sustainable Development, De Montfort University, Leicester, U.K.Graduate Center and Brooklyn College, City University of New York, New York, NY, USAComputer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi ArabiaComputer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia<italic>Goal:</italic> Modeling neurovascular coupling is very important to understand brain functions, yet challenging due to the complexity of the involved phenomena. An alternative approach was recently proposed where the framework of fractional-order modeling is employed to characterize the complex phenomena underlying the neurovascular. Due to its nonlocal property, a fractional derivative is suitable for modeling delayed and power-law phenomena. <italic>Methods:</italic> In this study, we analyze and validate a fractional-order model, which characterizes the neurovascular coupling mechanism. To show the added value of the fractional-order parameters of the proposed model, we perform a parameter sensitivity analysis of the fractional model compared to its integer counterpart. Moreover, the model was validated using neural activity-CBF data related to both event and block design experiments that were acquired using electrophysiology and laser Doppler flowmetry recordings, respectively. <italic>Results:</italic> The validation results show the aptitude and flexibility of the fractional-order paradigm in fitting a more comprehensive range of well-shaped CBF response behaviors while maintaining a low model complexity. Comparison with the standard integer-order models shows the added value of the fractional-order parameters in capturing various key determinants of the cerebral hemody-namic response, e.g., post-stimulus undershoot. This investigation authenticates the ability and adaptability of the fractional-order framework to characterize a wider range of well-shaped cerebral blood flow responses while preserving low model complexity through a series of unconstrained and constrained optimizations. <italic>Conclusions:</italic> The analysis of the proposed fractional-order model demonstrates that the proposed framework yields a powerful tool for a flexible characterization of the neurovascular coupling mechanism.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9756937/Neurovascular couplingCerebral blood flowNeural activityFractional-order calculusfractional differentiation ordersSensitivity analysis
spellingShingle Zehor Belkhatir
Fahd Alhazmi
Mohamed A. Bahloul
Taous-Meriem Laleg-Kirati
Parameter Sensitivity and Experimental Validation for Fractional-Order Dynamical Modeling of Neurovascular Coupling
IEEE Open Journal of Engineering in Medicine and Biology
Neurovascular coupling
Cerebral blood flow
Neural activity
Fractional-order calculus
fractional differentiation orders
Sensitivity analysis
title Parameter Sensitivity and Experimental Validation for Fractional-Order Dynamical Modeling of Neurovascular Coupling
title_full Parameter Sensitivity and Experimental Validation for Fractional-Order Dynamical Modeling of Neurovascular Coupling
title_fullStr Parameter Sensitivity and Experimental Validation for Fractional-Order Dynamical Modeling of Neurovascular Coupling
title_full_unstemmed Parameter Sensitivity and Experimental Validation for Fractional-Order Dynamical Modeling of Neurovascular Coupling
title_short Parameter Sensitivity and Experimental Validation for Fractional-Order Dynamical Modeling of Neurovascular Coupling
title_sort parameter sensitivity and experimental validation for fractional order dynamical modeling of neurovascular coupling
topic Neurovascular coupling
Cerebral blood flow
Neural activity
Fractional-order calculus
fractional differentiation orders
Sensitivity analysis
url https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9756937/
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AT mohamedabahloul parametersensitivityandexperimentalvalidationforfractionalorderdynamicalmodelingofneurovascularcoupling
AT taousmeriemlalegkirati parametersensitivityandexperimentalvalidationforfractionalorderdynamicalmodelingofneurovascularcoupling