Entropy production of Multivariate Ornstein-Uhlenbeck processes correlates with consciousness levels in the human brain
Matthieu Gilson, Enzo Tagliazucchi, Rodrigo Cofré
arXiv Preprint Archive July 11, 2022 preprint
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort |
|---|---|
| Population | Human participants undergoing fMRI during wakefulness and deep sleep |
| Keywords | Q-bio.nc Consciousness Awareness Conscious states Brain states Wakefulness Sleep states Brain entropy Entropy production Thermodynamic activity Irreversible processes Brain thermodynamics Neural entropy Brain research Brain dynamics Neural dynamics Biophysics FMRI Functional MRI Brain imaging Neuroimaging |
| Key findings | Entropy production in brain activity decreases monotonically from wakefulness to deep sleep, indicating a thermodynamic signature of consciousness. |
Abstract
Consciousness is supported by complex patterns of brain activity which are indicative of irreversible non-equilibrium dynamics. While the framework of stochastic thermodynamics has facilitated the understanding of physical systems of this kind, its application to infer the level of consciousness from empirical data remains elusive. We faced this challenge by calculating entropy production in a multivariate Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process fitted to fMRI brain activity recordings. To test this approach, we focused on the transition from wakefulness to deep sleep, revealing a monotonous relationship between entropy production and the level of consciousness. Our results constitute robust signatures of consciousness while also advancing our understanding of the link between consciousness and complexity from the fundamental perspective of statistical physics.