A systems-level energetic framework for conscious processing: energetic organization as a constraint on large-scale neural integration

Abstract

Conscious processing is associated with coordinated interactions among distributed neural systems, yet the biological constraints that enable and sustain large-scale neural integration remain incompletely understood. Contemporary theories emphasize computational, informational, and network mechanisms, while the potential contribution of systems-level energetic organization has received comparatively less explicit theoretical attention. This Hypothesis & Theory article proposes that systems-level energetic organization may represent an additional biological constraint influencing the neural conditions under which large-scale neural integration associated with conscious processing can emerge and be sustained. Systems-level energetic organization is defined as the dynamic coordination of energy production, distribution, allocation, and utilization across interacting neural systems. The framework integrates established principles of brain energetics, metabolic regulation, and distributed neural organization, while the proposed relationship between their systems-level coordination and conscious neural integration remains hypothetical. It is intended to complement rather than replace existing theories of consciousness and does not propose that energy generates consciousness, determines conscious content, or explains subjective experience. The framework generates experimentally testable predictions concerning whether systems-level energetic measures provide explanatory value beyond regional metabolism and established neurophysiological and network variables. Explicit falsification criteria define observations that would weaken or reject the hypothesis. Multimodal human and non-human animal studies, computational modeling, and carefully controlled translational investigations provide complementary approaches for evaluating these predictions. By treating systems-level energetic organization as an empirically testable biological constraint rather than an explanation for consciousness itself, the proposed framework provides a falsifiable research program for investigating an unresolved dimension of large-scale neural integration while remaining agnostic regarding the ultimate origin and nature of subjective experience.