Time-Varying Actuation and Interconnection in Network Systems for the Control of Epileptic Seizures
Abstract
A number of complex systems across the natural sciences and engineering exhibit dynamics that evolve over an intricate network structure, which in turns constrains system efficiency and robustness. This interrelationship between the structure and dynamic functions is particularly important in biological systems such as the human brain, where localized disturbances and transient aberrations of the connectivity structure may lead to severe neurological disorders, such as epileptic seizures. Interventions to treat these conditions are possible, yet difficult to optimize and actuate due to dimensionality, under-actuated and inaccurate control capabilities, unmodeled dynamics and spatial dependencies, and time-varying physical/functional structures. To address these challenges, the goal of this project is to develop novel methodologies and tools to analyze and control time-varying network systems. The state of the art in network control relies predominantly on a passive viewpoint of the time-varying nature of complex networks, where time-varying topologies are considered a given fact that needs to be dealt with. Instead, our approach relies on time-varying interconnections and actuation as an opportunity to understand the reasons behind specific network changes and to actively shape its functionality. The emphasis is on time-varying networks, where the dependency on time appears in the dynamics of the single nodes, in the interconnections between them, or as a combination of the two mechanisms. The project seeks to characterize the benefits and limitations of time-varying actuation (actuating different nodes at different times) and time-varying interconnection (activating different edges at different times). If successful, the research of this project will significantly enhance our ability to quickly adapt intervention strategies and deal with time-varying model uncertainties in complex networks across multiple application domains.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Feb 14, 2019
- Source ID
- W911NF1810213
Entities
People
- Jorge Cortés
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- United States Army
- University of California, San Diego