Synergies between network-based representation and probabilistic graphical models for classification, inference and optimization problems in neuroscience

Neural systems network-based representations are useful tools to analyze numerous phenomena in neuroscience. Probabilistic graphical models (PGMs) give a concise and still rich representation of complex systems from different domains, including neural systems. In this paper we analyze the characteristics of a bidirectional relationship between networks-based representations and PGMs. We show the way in which this relationship can be exploited introducing a number of methods for the solution of classification, inference and optimization problems. To illustrate the applicability of the introduced methods, a number of problems from the field of neuroscience, in which ongoing research is conducted, are used