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ePoster
THERMODYNAMICS OF CONSCIOUSNESS: A NON-INVASIVE PERTURBATIONAL FRAMEWORK
Tomas Berjaga-Buisanand 12 co-authors
Center for Brain and Cognition, Computational Neuroscience Group, Department of Engineering, Universitat Pompeu Fabra
FENS Forum 2026 (2026)
Barcelona, Spain
Board PS06-09PM-340
Presentation
Date TBA
Board: PS06-09PM-340
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Poster Board
PS06-09PM-340
Poster
View posterAbstract
Understanding and measuring consciousness objectively remains a central challenge in neuroscience. The Perturbational Complexity Index (PCI) has emerged as a robust empirical marker, yet its underlying physical principles are not fully understood. Here, we bridge this gap by developing generative whole-brain models in humans and rodents spanning wakefulness, anesthesia, and disorders of consciousness (DoC). Using these models, we quantified non-equilibrium brain dynamics through violations of the Fluctuation–Dissipation Theorem (FDT), which links intrinsic fluctuations to responses to external perturbations, and directly compared them with PCI across corresponding conditions. We show that FDT violations are markedly reduced during anesthesia and DoC relative to wakefulness, closely mirroring the empirical patterns of PCI. Together, these results establish a mechanistic link between non-equilibrium brain dynamics and perturbational complexity, grounding PCI in fundamental physical principles and introducing FDT violations as a non-invasive, model-based framework for assessing consciousness.
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