We formulate a phenomenological effective field theory in which biological intelligence emerges as a macroscopic order parameter sustained by continuous metabolic flux. By modeling cognition as a coarse-grained neural activity field governed by a variational free energy, we derive closed-form expressions for information capacity and structural susceptibility using a Gaussian maximum entropy...
BiomedicinesFebruary 21, 2026Maximiliano Ganado, Carmen Rubio, Javier Pérez-villavicencio et al.
The neuropharmacology of psychedelics has traditionally focused on serotonergic mechanisms, particularly 5-HT2A receptor activation. However, this paradigm incompletely explains the diversity of neurobiological and therapeutic effects observed across psychedelic compounds. Non-classical psychedelics such as salvinorin A, the primary active constituent of Salvia divinorum, challenge this...
Major theories of consciousness explain important aspects of reportability, integration, or inference, yet none jointly accounts for three persistent facts: wakeful experience feels continuously present; effortful agency waxes and wanes with uncertainty rather than raw computational load; and most cognition proceeds without reportable awareness. Affective Control under Uncertainty (ACU)...
This book presents a groundbreaking exploration of humanity's quest for altered states, from ancient psychoactive rituals to immersive AI and virtual reality, and examines their continued impact on cognition, culture, governance, and identity. Drawing on decades of global fieldwork and interdisciplinary research, Dr Sheldon Lee Gosline traces compelling connections between the regulation of...
General anesthesia induces reversible changes in consciousness through cortical activity and connectivity alterations, yet the functional connectome dynamics underlying propofol-induced unconsciousness remains unclear. We analyze high-density 128-channel electroencephalogram (EEG) from 31 surgical patients using source localization to identify neurobiological connectome signatures of propofol...
Across India and Pakistan, the death anniversaries (ʿurs) of Sufi saints are celebrated with great festivity, including performances of qawwālī. This festival is called ʿurs, an Arabic word that translates as “wedding,” because the death of a saint is said to represent their wisāl, or unification with God. While most ʿurs festivals include the ritual of washing the grave of the saint, known as...
People with alcohol use disorder experience alterations in consciousness from 0.8 mg/kg intravenous ketamine administration. Ketamine's effects appear to be broadly consistent across three repeated infusions. Ketamine-related reductions in alcohol consumption do not appear to be mediated by the acute psychoactive effects of ketamine.
This work proposes a unified, multimodal framework for understanding near-death experiences (NDEs) as structured transformations of the human world-model under extreme physiological stress. Drawing on findings from neuroscience, cognitive psychology, phenomenology, and developmental research, the paper argues that core NDE features—such as tunnel-like vision, out-of-body experiences, altered...
The serotonergic psychedelic psilocybin induces neural plasticity and profoundly alters consciousness. The benzodiazepine midazolam blunts neural plasticity and induces conscious sedation and amnesia at low doses. In our recent open label pilot study, we administered oral psilocybin (25 mg) along with intravenous midazolam at doses allowing a full psychedelic experience while blunting memory...
We describe a form of structuralism that focuses on the mereological parts of conscious states, drawing on the metaphor of a symphony where the removal or alteration of any contributor affects the whole in a holistic but determinate way. This variational method is applied to what we call the "minimal experience of self", a composite encompassing (1) a feeling of agency, (2) a feeling of...