The Brain as a Low-Resistance Pathway Network: A Cross-Domain Evidence Synthesis from White Matter Microstructure, Sleep Deprivation, and Default Mode Network Metabolism
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) July 20, 2026 Menggang Yu
The brain's lifelong decline in white matter integrity, the cognitive impairments caused by sleep deprivation, and the high energy use of the default mode network can be understood as a single physical process: the brain is a network of low-resistance pathways formed by charge flow, and memory is those pathways themselves. Analysis of UK Biobank data (N=21,236) shows white matter hyperintensity volume independently predicts cognitive decline beyond gray matter atrophy. Sleep deprivation impairs cognitive domains in proportion to their reliance on long-range brain integration, with sustained vigilance most affected (g=−0.776) and reasoning spared (g=−0.125, n.s.). Default mode network connectivity strength independently predicts local glucose metabolism (r=0.62), suggesting its high energy use reflects physical pathway maintenance rather than thought.