Time-frequency distributions as exploratory tools in the study of biological signals

Biological signals offer a special challenge to signal processing. Usually, a signal is assumed to be composed of complex exponentials which are the solutions to linear time-invariant (LTI) differential equations. Signals of biological origin often do not comply with these simplifying assumptions which are so useful in more conventional engineering application. Newly emerging techniques of time-frequency (t-f) analysis can provide new insights into the nature of biological signals so that new, more effective modeling and analysis techniques can be used. The paper describes some results using reduced interference distributions (RID) as an exploratory tool in biological signal analysis, revealing new insights into the complex structure of these signals