Physiological Attribute Network: A Case Study of Emotion

The analysis of interactions among the human body's multiple physiological systems using information technology has recently emerged as a key focus in research. However, previous studies have typically treated each physiological system as a homogeneous entity, overlooking the fact that diverse physiological activities coexist even within individual systems. To overcome this limitation, the present study introduces a "physiological attribute network" framework. Using emotional stimuli-which elicit a wide range of physiological responses-as a case example, this framework extracts distinct attributes from each physiological signal to capture the heterogeneous physiological activities within individual systems, and enables network modeling at the level of physiological attributes. Key findings from this study demonstrate that individual physiological activities exert distinct and multifaceted influences both within and across physiological systems. Moreover, the study reveals dynamic synergistic and inhibitory interactions among these activities, highlighting their complex interdependencies. Importantly, it also demonstrates the adaptability of network topologies, which reconfigure in response to shifts in physiological states, such as emotional fluctuations. In summary, this work provides a fine-grained analytical framework for investigating physiological activities at both intra-and intersystem levels, offering significant potential to advance research in the fields of physiology and engineering.