A complex network approach to the determination of functional groups in the neural system of C. elegans

Abstract

The structure of real complex networks is often modular, with sets of nodes more connected between them than to the rest of the network. These communities are usually reflecting a topology-functionality interplay, whose discovery is basic for the understanding of the operation of the networks. Thus, much attention has been driven to the determination of the modular structure of complex networks. Recently it has been shown that this modular organization appears at several scales of description, which may be found by a synchronization process on top of these networks. Here we make use of it for a tentative uncovering of functional groups in the neural system of the nematode C. elegans. © 2008 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.