Mnemonic Emergence Theory of Consciousness: A Hierarchical Memory Architecture in the Organization for Meaning, Integration, and Self.

Abstract

Existing theories of consciousness insufficiently explain the neurocognitive mechanisms through which neural information acquires subjective meaning. To address this gap, we proposed the Mnemonic Emergence Theory (MET) of consciousness, which posits memory not as a passive repository but as an active, system-forming, and meaning/goal-generating basis of conscious behavior. In contrast to classical views, MET postulates that the dynamic organization of memory engrams, integrated with present motivational states, contextual frameworks, and predictive capabilities, constitutes the core mechanism by which meaning/goal emerges and consciousness is established. Within this framework, meaning is not an intrinsic property of information. It arises when current sensory input is integrated into a holistic relational system encompassing the subject's long-term experience, dominant motivation, and anticipated future outcomes. We proposed a functional system model wherein the memory apparatus serves as the integrative hub, linking all other key components of goal-directed behavior, while the ultimate system-forming factor remains the achievement of adaptive outcomes. MET suggests a hierarchical evolutionary model of memory - from simple synaptic traces and conditioned associations, through bidirectional connections and predictability, to self-reflective meta-memory, oscillatory integration, and finally, to an autobiographically extended conscious self. Consciousness, under this view, represents the function and operation of memory at its highest developmental level: a recursively structured, affectively laden, and temporally integrated composition. The central tenet of MET may be summarized as follows: from the memory engram to its actualization, through affective valence and predictive goals, towards temporal and oscillatory integration (meta-memory), and culminating in phenomenal consciousness.