The integrated information Φ of an integrate and fire network.
PLoS Computational Biology March 1, 2026 Miłosz Danilczuk, Marek Pokropski, Piotr Suffczynski
Integrated Information Theory (IIT) proposes that consciousness arises from a system's ability to integrate information. Applying IIT to a simulated network of integrate-and-fire (IAF) neurons shows that such a network can have a non-zero Φ value—a measure of integrated information—under specific conditions. The complexity of the network's dynamics does not necessarily correlate with its Φ value. However, the amount of integrated information increases with the neurons' time constant, reflecting their integrative capacity. The integrated information measure defined in IIT 3.0 is not resilient to noise when the network includes internal random fluctuations.