A non-invasive framework using generative whole-brain models of non-equilibrium dynamics reveals that violations of the Fluctuation-Dissipation Theorem (FDT) in spontaneous brain signals are reduced in unresponsive disorders of consciousness and anesthesia compared to conscious states, mirroring patterns seen with the Perturbational Complexity Index (PCI). This links PCI to fundamental physics principles and offers new objective, model-based tools for assessing consciousness loss and recovery.
The cerebral cortex generates diverse patterns of activity that shift across brain states such as sleep, wakefulness, anesthesia, and disorders of consciousness, yet a unified definition of brain states remains elusive. This review focuses on two extremes: synchronous states, which predominantly underlie unconsciousness, and asynchronous states, which predominantly underlie consciousness, though exceptions exist. The authors integrate data across levels from local circuits to whole-brain dynamics, examining properties like cortical complexity, functional connectivity, synchronization, wave propagation, and excitatory-inhibitory balance. They make experimental and clinical data, as well as computational models at micro-, meso-, and macrocortical levels, available to readers.
The abstract contrasts two views of consciousness: the standard scientific view that matter is primary and consciousness arises from brain activity, versus an alternative view that consciousness is a primary force in nature from which physical laws might derive. The authors argue that virtual reality (VR) provides an experimental context where consciousness is a first-order phenomenon, making the alternative view intuitively accessible. They discuss the Interface Theory of Perception, which holds that perceptions are not veridical but based on evolutionary payoffs, and suggest this theory accurately describes perception and consciousness within VR. They propose an experimental study to explore this but do not draw conclusions about physical reality or challenge the emergence of consciousness from brain function.