On Sparse High-Dimensional Graph Estimation from Multi-Attribute Data

We consider the problem of inferring the conditional independence graph (CIG) of high-dimensional Gaussian vectors from multi-attribute data. Most existing methods for graph estimation are based on single-attribute models where one associates a scalar random variable with each node. In multi-attribute graphical models, each node represents a random vector. In this paper we provide a unified theoretical analysis of multi-attribute graph learning using a penalized log-likelihood objective function. We consider both convex (sparse-group lasso) and non-convex (log-sum and SCAD group penalties) penalty/regularization functions. We establish sufficient conditions in a high-dimensional setting for consistency (convergence of the precision matrix to true value in the Frobenius norm), local convexity when using non-convex penalties, and graph recovery. We do not impose any incoherence or irrepresentability condition for our convergence results.