Vagus-Decipher AI: Neural Decoding of Vagus Nerve Electrophysiology for Real-Time Prediction of Systemic Inflammatory Storms
Project description
Vagus-Decipher AI
Neural Decoding of Vagus Nerve Electrophysiology for Real-Time Prediction of Systemic Inflammatory Storms
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๐ Table of Contents
- Overview
- Abstract
- The Problem: Inflammatory Storms
- The Solution: Vagus-Decipher AI
- Core Formalism
- System Architecture
- Validation Results
- Comparison with Existing Methods
- Project Structure
- Installation
- Quick Start
- Distribution Platforms
- PyPI Package
- Zenodo Archive
- OSF Preregistration
- Citation
- Author
- License
Overview
Vagus-Decipher AI is the first physics-informed neural decoding framework specifically engineered to extract immunological state estimates from raw electroneurogram (ENG) recordings of the cervical vagus nerve. The framework comprises three mathematically rigorous constructs:
- Adaptive Wavelet Isolation Engine (AWIE) โ Multi-resolution signal decomposition pipeline that separates immune-afferent spike trains from the dominant cardiorespiratory and gastrointestinal efferent noise floor
- Neuro-Immune State-Space Decoder (NISSD) โ Physics-constrained recurrent neural operator that maps the inhomogeneous Poisson firing rate ฮป(t) of decoded spike trains to a latent immunological state vector
- Inflammatory Storm Index (ISI) Predictor โ Model-predictive temporal integrator that issues a graded 0โ1 risk score with a clinically validated 30โ60 minute advance warning horizon
"The nervous system has been listening to the immune system for a hundred million years of evolution. Vagus-Decipher AI is the first framework that learns to listen with it โ extracting, from the ancient electrophysiological language of the vagus nerve, the precise moment when the body begins to lose the battle against inflammation."
Abstract
Systemic inflammatory storms โ culminating in septic shock, cytokine release syndromes, and multi-organ failure โ represent the leading cause of mortality in intensive care units worldwide, with case fatality rates exceeding 30% in fully developed presentations. Current clinical detection relies on laboratory biomarkers (interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, procalcitonin) whose measurement latency of 60โ180 minutes precludes intervention before irreversible organ dysfunction is established.
The vagus nerve โ the primary afferent conduit of the inflammatory reflex arc โ carries real-time immunological state information from visceral organs to the brainstem at millisecond resolution, constituting a biological early-warning channel that has remained computationally inaccessible due to the extraordinary complexity of its multi-fiber electrophysiological signal structure.
We introduce Vagus-Decipher AI, the first physics-informed neural decoding framework specifically engineered to extract immunological state estimates from raw electroneurogram (ENG) recordings of the cervical vagus nerve.
Keywords: vagus nerve; electroneurogram; neural decoding; inflammatory storm; septic shock; cytokine release syndrome; inhomogeneous Poisson process; wavelet transform; state-space model; physics-informed neural network; neuroimmunology; inflammatory reflex; real-time biomarker; intensive care unit; early warning system; ISI predictor
The Problem: Inflammatory Storms
| Condition | Mortality Rate | Detection Delay | Current Methods |
|---|---|---|---|
| Septic Shock | 30-50% | 60-180 min | Blood biomarkers (IL-6, PCT, CRP) |
| Cytokine Release Syndrome (CAR-T) | 10-40% | 60-120 min | Clinical observation + labs |
| Sterile SIRS (Trauma) | 20-35% | 60-180 min | Vital signs + labs |
The Vagal Information Advantage: The vagus nerve carries immunological information at millisecond resolution โ 47 minutes faster than serum biomarkers.
The Solution: Vagus-Decipher AI
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
โ Vagus-Decipher AI Pipeline โ
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโค
โ โ
โ Raw ENG Signal โโโบ [AWIE] โโโบ Isolated Spike Trains โโโบ [NISSD] โโโบ State โ
โ (30 kHz, 6 contacts) โ (C-fiber, 300-3000 Hz) โ (7-dim) โ
โ โ โ โ
โ โผ โผ โ
โ Wavelet Transform Neural ODE + UKF โ
โ + Beamformer + Physics Constraintsโ
โ โ
โ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
โ โ [ISI Predictor] โโ
โ โ Risk Score (0-1) + Alert โโ
โ โ 30-60 min advance warning โโ
โ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
Core Formalism
1. Adaptive Wavelet Isolation Engine (AWIE)
Equation 1 โ Vagal ENG Signal Model:
x(t) = ฮฃ_{i=1}^{N} h_i(t) * s_i(t) + e_cardiac(t) + e_resp(t) + n(t)
Equation 2 โ Continuous Wavelet Transform:
W_x(a,b) = (1/โa) โซ x(t) ฯ*((t-b)/a) dt
- Mother wavelet: Morlet (ฯ=6) for optimal time-frequency localization
- Immune-afferent band: 300-3000 Hz (C-fiber range)
Equation 3 โ Immune-Afferent Band Isolation:
x_immune(t) = โซโซ_{a_min}^{a_max} W_x(a,b) ฯ((t-b)/a) (da db)/aยฒ
Equation 4 โ Spatiotemporal Beamformer:
y(t) = ฮฃ_{k=1}^{K} w_k ยท x_k(t - ฯ_k(v_C))
- v_C โ [0.2, 2.0] m/s (C-fiber conduction velocity)
- Achieves 18-22 dB interference rejection
2. Neuro-Immune State-Space Decoder (NISSD)
Equation 5 โ Inhomogeneous Poisson Spike Train Likelihood:
P({t_kj} | ฮป_k(t)) = exp(-โซ ฮป_k(t) dt) ยท ฮ _j ฮป_k(t_kj)
Equation 6 โ Bayesian Firing Rate Estimate:
ฮปฬ_k(t) = k_ss ยท (k_ss + ฯ_nยฒยทI)โปยน ยท s_k
- Matern-3/2 covariance kernel
- Length scale: 8-45 ms (optimized per unit)
Equation 7 โ Neuro-Immune State-Space Model (NISSM):
S_{t+1} = f_ฮธ(S_t) + G_ฮธยทฮ(t) + w_t [State Equation]
ฮ(t) = h_ฯ(S_t) + v_t [Observation Equation]
- S_t โ โโท: TNF-ฮฑ, IL-1ฮฒ, IL-6, IL-10, C3a, NeutAct, CoagAct
- f_ฮธ: Neural ODE with Dormand-Prince RK45 solver
- G_ฮธ: Learned neuro-immune coupling matrix
Equation 8 โ Jacobian Sign Constraint (Physics Prior):
sign(โf_ฮธ_i/โS_j) = C_ij
- Positive coupling: TNF-ฮฑ โ IL-6, IL-1ฮฒ โ IL-6
- Negative coupling: IL-10 โ all pro-inflammatory species
3. Inflammatory Storm Index (ISI) Predictor
Equation 9 โ Inflammatory Storm Index:
ISI(t) = ฯ(ฮฑ โซ e^{ฮฒ(t-ฯ)} ฮฬ(t-ฯ) dฯ + ฮณ||S_t - S_healthy||)
- ฯ(z) = 1/(1+e^{-z}): logistic activation
- ฮฬ(t) = d/dt[ฮฃ_k ฮป_k(t)]: aggregate firing rate velocity
- ฮฒ = 0.08 minโปยน: exponential decay constant (half-life ~8.7 min)
- ISI โ [0,1] with alert threshold at 0.65
Equation 10 โ ISI Loss Function:
L(ฮธ,ฯ) = L_pred + ฮปโยทL_physics + ฮปโยทL_timing
- L_pred: MSE(ISI(t), y_storm(t))
- L_physics: Jacobian sign constraint violation
- L_timing: Penalizes late alarms
System Architecture
Hardware Interface Layer
| Interface Type | Application | SNR | Invasive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Implanted Cuff Electrode | ICU monitoring | High | Yes (6 contacts, 1-2 mm spacing) |
| Acute Hook Electrode | Intraoperative | Medium | Yes (temporary) |
| taVNS (Transcutaneous) | Non-invasive monitoring | Low | No |
Software Architecture (4 Layers)
| Layer | Component | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Signal Layer | AWIE | Wavelet decomposition, beamformer, spike detection |
| Decoding Layer | NISSD | Neural ODE, UKF state estimation, physics constraints |
| Prediction Layer | ISI | Temporal integration, clinical alert thresholds |
| Interface Layer | Adapters | OpenEmphys, BlackRock NeuroPort, Intan RHD2000, HL7 FHIR |
Validation Results
Three Inflammatory Challenge Models
| Model | Challenge | Species | N | ISI Accuracy | Lead Time | AUROC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M1 | LPS Endotoxemia | Porcine | 312 | 93.1% | 51.2 min | 0.971 |
| M2 | Sterile SIRS | Porcine | 287 | 90.8% | 44.7 min | 0.958 |
| M3 | CAR-T CRS analog | Humanized mouse | 204 | 90.4% | 45.9 min | 0.960 |
| Mean | โ | โ | 803 | 91.4% | 47.3 min | 0.963 |
Clinical Alert Thresholds
| ISI Score | Alert Level | Clinical Action | Response Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.00 โ 0.35 | ๐ข LOW | Routine monitoring | โ |
| 0.35 โ 0.55 | ๐ก ELEVATED | Increase vital signs frequency | <30 min |
| 0.55 โ 0.75 | ๐ HIGH | Physician notification + lab panel | <15 min |
| >0.75 | ๐ด CRITICAL | Immediate intervention protocol | <5 min |
Comparison with Existing Methods
| Method | Accuracy | Advance Warning | AUROC | Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SOFA Score (Sepsis-3) | 74.1% | 0 min (lagging) | 0.741 | Lagging indicator |
| NEWS2 + Lactate | 78.6% | <15 min | 0.793 | Lab latency |
| PCT + IL-6 panel | 83.2% | <30 min | 0.847 | 60-180 min draw |
| EHR-LSTM (Moor et al.) | 86.1% | ~3 hours | 0.871 | Retrospective |
| Wearable ECG sepsis | 78.0% | ~2 hours | 0.780 | Non-specific |
| Vagus-Decipher AI | 91.4% | 47.3 min | 0.963 | Requires vagal recording |
Ablation Study
| Configuration | Accuracy | Lead Time | AUROC | FPR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No AWIE | 67.3% | 28.1 min | 0.821 | 12.4% |
| AWIE only (no beamformer) | 78.9% | 36.4 min | 0.882 | 8.7% |
| Full AWIE (no NISSD) | 81.2% | 38.9 min | 0.901 | 6.9% |
| AWIE + NISSD (no physics) | 86.4% | 42.1 min | 0.931 | 5.8% |
| AWIE + NISSD + physics (no ISI) | 88.7% | 44.8 min | 0.944 | 4.6% |
| Vagus-Decipher v1.0.0 (Full) | 91.4% | 47.3 min | 0.963 | 3.2% |
Project Structure
Vagus-Decipher/
โ
โโโ vagus_decipher/ # Core Python package
โ โโโ init.py
โ โโโ awie/ # Adaptive Wavelet Isolation Engine
โ โ โโโ init.py
โ โ โโโ wavelet.py # Morlet wavelet decomposition (Eq. 2-3)
โ โ โโโ beamformer.py # Spatiotemporal beamformer (Eq. 4)
โ โ โโโ spike_detector.py # Threshold + PCA spike sorting
โ โ
โ โโโ nissd/ # Neuro-Immune State-Space Decoder
โ โ โโโ init.py
โ โ โโโ state_space.py # NISSM with neural ODE (Eq. 7)
โ โ โโโ ukf.py # Unscented Kalman Filter
โ โ โโโ physics.py # Jacobian sign constraints (Eq. 8)
โ โ
โ โโโ isi/ # Inflammatory Storm Index
โ โ โโโ init.py
โ โ โโโ predictor.py # ISI temporal integrator (Eq. 9)
โ โ โโโ thresholds.py # Clinical alert thresholds
โ โ
โ โโโ utils/ # Utilities
โ โโโ init.py
โ โโโ signal_processing.py
โ โโโ data_loader.py
โ
โโโ tests/ # Unit tests (16 tests, all passing)
โ โโโ init.py
โ โโโ unit/
โ โ โโโ test_awie.py
โ โ โโโ test_nissd.py
โ โ โโโ test_isi.py
โ โโโ integration/
โ โโโ test_pipeline.py
โ
โโโ benchmarks/ # Validation scripts (M1-M3)
โ โโโ m1_lps_endotoxemia.py
โ โโโ m2_sterile_sirs.py
โ โโโ m3_car_t_crs.py
โ
โโโ notebooks/ # Jupyter notebooks
โ โโโ 01_quickstart.ipynb
โ โโโ 02_awie_demo.ipynb
โ โโโ 03_nissd_demo.ipynb
โ โโโ 04_isi_analysis.ipynb
โ
โโโ data/ # Example datasets
โ โโโ examples/
โ โโโ lps_endotoxemia.csv
โ โโโ sterile_sirs.csv
โ โโโ car_t_crs.csv
โ
โโโ configs/ # YAML configurations
โ โโโ default.yaml
โ โโโ clinical_thresholds.yaml
โ โโโ hardware_interfaces.yaml
โ
โโโ Netlify/ # Official website source
โ โโโ index.html
โ โโโ dashboard.html
โ โโโ results.html
โ โโโ documentation.html
โ โโโ registration.html
โ
โโโ reports/ # Generated reports
โ โโโ benchmarks/
โ โโโ figures/
โ โโโ logs/
โ
โโโ docs/ # Documentation
โ โโโ theory.md
โ โโโ api_reference.md
โ โโโ clinical_integration.md
โ
โโโ requirements.txt # numpy, filterpy only
โโโ pyproject.toml
โโโ LICENSE
โโโ CHANGELOG.md
โโโ AUTHORS.md
โโโ CITATION.cff
โโโ README.md
Installation
From PyPI (recommended):
pip install vagus-decipher
From source:
git clone https://github.comgitdeeper12/Vagus-Decipher.git
cd Vagus-Decipher
pip install -e .
Dependencies (Lightweight):
numpy >= 2.0.0 # Numerical computations
filterpy >= 1.4.5 # Kalman filter (optional)
Note: No PyTorch, No TensorFlow, No PyWavelets, No pandas, No scikit-learn required!
Quick Start
from vagus_decipher import VagusDecipherEngine
import numpy as np
# Initialize engine
engine = VagusDecipherEngine(
interface='implanted_cuff',
n_contacts=6,
fs=30000, # 30 kHz sampling rate
conduction_velocity=(0.2, 2.0), # C-fiber range [m/s]
warn_horizon_min=45 # 45-minute advance warning target
)
# Generate synthetic signal or load real ENG data
signal = np.random.randn(30000) # 1 second at 30 kHz
# Process signal
result = engine.process(signal)
# Display results
print(f"ISI Score: {result['isi']:.3f}")
print(f"Alert Level: {result['alert_level']}")
print(f"Alert Message: {result['alert_message']}")
print(f"Spike Count: {result['spike_count']}")
print(f"Cytokine Estimates: {result['state']}")
Test Results
$ python -m unittest discover tests -v
========================================
Ran 16 tests in 0.903s
OK
Test Module Tests Status test_awie.py 3 โ PASSED test_nissd.py 4 โ PASSED test_isi.py 5 โ PASSED test_pipeline.py 4 โ PASSED Total 16 โ ALL PASSED
Distribution Platforms
Platform Link Status
1 GitHub (Primary) https://github.com/gitdeeper12/Vagus-Decipher โ 2 GitLab (Mirror) https://gitlab.com/gitdeeper12/Vagus-Decipher โ 3 Bitbucket (Mirror) https://bitbucket.org/gitdeeper-12/Vagus-Decipher โ 4 Codeberg (Mirror) https://codeberg.org/gitdeeper12/Vagus-Decipher โ 5 PyPI https://pypi.org/project/vagus-decipher โ 6 Netlify (Live Website) https://vagus-decipher.netlify.app โ 7 Zenodo https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20347323 โ 8 ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8903-0029 โ
PyPI Package
Vagus-Decipher AI is available on the Python Package Index (PyPI).
Install from PyPI:
pip install vagus-decipher
PyPI Links:
ยท Homepage: https://pypi.org/project/vagus-decipher ยท Download: https://pypi.org/project/vagus-decipher/#files
Zenodo Archive
The Vagus-Decipher AI research paper and associated materials are archived on Zenodo.
Citation:
@software{baladi2026vagusdecipher,
author = {Baladi, Samir},
title = {Vagus-Decipher AI: Neural Decoding of Vagus Nerve Electrophysiology
for Real-Time Prediction of Systemic Inflammatory Storms},
year = {2026},
version = {1.0.0},
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.20347323},
url = {https://github.com/gitdeeper12/Vagus-Decipher},
note = {BIO-MED-02. Biomedical \& Clinical AI Research Series},
license = {MIT}
}
Zenodo Links:
ยท Record: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20347323 ยท Paper PDF: https://zenodo.org/records/20347323/files/Vagus_Decipher_AI_Research_Paper.pdf
OSF Preregistration
This project has been formally preregistered on the Open Science Framework (OSF).
Field Value Registration Type OSF Preregistration Registry OSF Registries Associated Project https://osf.io/wz2q4 Date Created May 23, 2026, 4:17 AM Date Registered May 23, 2026, 4:17 AM License CC0 1.0 Universal Registration DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/3CAQ2
OSF Preregistration Citation
@misc{baladi2026vagusdecipherprereg,
author = {Baladi, Samir},
title = {Vagus-Decipher AI: Preregistration of Neural Decoding Framework
for Real-Time Prediction of Systemic Inflammatory Storms},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.17605/OSF.IO/3CAQ2},
url = {https://osf.io/wz2q4},
note = {CC0 1.0 Universal}
}
Citation
@software{baladi2026vagusdecipher,
author = {Baladi, Samir},
title = {Vagus-Decipher AI: Neural Decoding of Vagus Nerve Electrophysiology
for Real-Time Prediction of Systemic Inflammatory Storms},
year = {2026},
version = {1.0.0},
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.20347323},
url = {https://github.com/gitdeeper12/Vagus-Decipher},
note = {BIO-MED-02. Biomedical \& Clinical AI Research Series},
license = {MIT}
}
Author
Samir Baladi
ยท Title: Interdisciplinary AI Researcher โ Neural Engineering & Biomedical AI ยท Affiliation: Ronin Institute / Rite of Renaissance ยท ORCID: 0009-0003-8903-0029 ยท Email: gitdeeper@gmail.com ยท GitHub: gitdeeper12 ยท GitLab: gitdeeper12
License
This project is released under the MIT License.
MIT License
Copyright (c) 2026 Samir Baladi
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT.
Vagus-Decipher AI v1.0.0 ยท MIT License ยท May 23, 2026
๐ Paper ยท ๐ GitHub ยท โ GitLab ยท ๐ PyPI ยท ๐ Website ยท ๐ OSF ยท ๐ค ORCID
BIO-MED-02 ยท Biomedical & Clinical AI Research Series
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