The thermodynamics of mind

Abstract

To not only survive, but also thrive, the brain must efficiently orchestrate distributed computation across space and time. This requires hierarchical organisation facilitating fast information transfer and processing at the lowest possible metabolic cost. Quantifying brain hierarchy is difficult but can be estimated from the asymmetry of information flow. Thermodynamics has successfully characterised hierarchy in many other complex systems. Here, we propose the `Thermodynamics of Mind' framework as a natural way to quantify hierarchical brain orchestration and its underlying mechanisms. This has already provided novel insights into the orchestration of hierarchy in brain states including movie watching, where the hierarchy of the brain is flatter than during rest. Overall, this framework holds great promise for revealing the orchestration of cognition.

We would like to thank Shamil Chandaria for his very insightful suggestions on an earlier version of this manuscript. G.D. is supported by Grant PID2022-136216NB-I00 funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by `ERDF A way of making Europe', ERDF, EU, Project NEurological MEchanismS of Injury, and Sleep-like cellular dynamics (NEMESIS) (101071900) funded by the EU ERC Synergy Horizon Europe, and AGAUR research support grant (2021 SGR 00917) funded by the Department of Research and Universities of the Generalitat of Catalunya. Y.S.P. is supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant 896354 and NEMESIS (101071900), funded by the EU ERC Synergy Horizon Europe. M.L.K. is supported by the Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing (funded by the Pettit and Carlsberg Foundations) and Center for Music in the Brain (funded by the Danish National Research Foundation, DNRF117).