NeurFlow: Interpreting Neural Networks through Neuron Groups and Functional Interactions

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Main Authors: Cao, Tue M., Hoang, Nhat X., Pham, Hieu H., Nguyen, Phi Le, Thai, My T.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Cao, Tue M.
Hoang, Nhat X.
Pham, Hieu H.
Nguyen, Phi Le
Thai, My T.
author_facet Cao, Tue M.
Hoang, Nhat X.
Pham, Hieu H.
Nguyen, Phi Le
Thai, My T.
contents Understanding the inner workings of neural networks is essential for enhancing model performance and interpretability. Current research predominantly focuses on examining the connection between individual neurons and the model's final predictions. Which suffers from challenges in interpreting the internal workings of the model, particularly when neurons encode multiple unrelated features. In this paper, we propose a novel framework that transitions the focus from analyzing individual neurons to investigating groups of neurons, shifting the emphasis from neuron-output relationships to functional interaction between neurons. Our automated framework, NeurFlow, first identifies core neurons and clusters them into groups based on shared functional relationships, enabling a more coherent and interpretable view of the network's internal processes. This approach facilitates the construction of a hierarchical circuit representing neuron interactions across layers, thus improving interpretability while reducing computational costs. Our extensive empirical studies validate the fidelity of our proposed NeurFlow. Additionally, we showcase its utility in practical applications such as image debugging and automatic concept labeling, thereby highlighting its potential to advance the field of neural network explainability.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2502_16105
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle NeurFlow: Interpreting Neural Networks through Neuron Groups and Functional Interactions
Cao, Tue M.
Hoang, Nhat X.
Pham, Hieu H.
Nguyen, Phi Le
Thai, My T.
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
Artificial Intelligence
Understanding the inner workings of neural networks is essential for enhancing model performance and interpretability. Current research predominantly focuses on examining the connection between individual neurons and the model's final predictions. Which suffers from challenges in interpreting the internal workings of the model, particularly when neurons encode multiple unrelated features. In this paper, we propose a novel framework that transitions the focus from analyzing individual neurons to investigating groups of neurons, shifting the emphasis from neuron-output relationships to functional interaction between neurons. Our automated framework, NeurFlow, first identifies core neurons and clusters them into groups based on shared functional relationships, enabling a more coherent and interpretable view of the network's internal processes. This approach facilitates the construction of a hierarchical circuit representing neuron interactions across layers, thus improving interpretability while reducing computational costs. Our extensive empirical studies validate the fidelity of our proposed NeurFlow. Additionally, we showcase its utility in practical applications such as image debugging and automatic concept labeling, thereby highlighting its potential to advance the field of neural network explainability.
title NeurFlow: Interpreting Neural Networks through Neuron Groups and Functional Interactions
topic Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
Artificial Intelligence
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.16105