Nonequilibrium physics of brain dynamics

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Nartallo-Kaluarachchi, Ramón, Kringelbach, Morten L., Deco, Gustavo, Lambiotte, Renaud, Goriely, Alain
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Nartallo-Kaluarachchi, Ramón
Kringelbach, Morten L.
Deco, Gustavo
Lambiotte, Renaud
Goriely, Alain
author_facet Nartallo-Kaluarachchi, Ramón
Kringelbach, Morten L.
Deco, Gustavo
Lambiotte, Renaud
Goriely, Alain
contents Information processing in the brain is coordinated by the dynamic activity of neurons and neural populations at a range of spatiotemporal scales. These dynamics, captured in the form of electrophysiological recordings and neuroimaging, show evidence of time-irreversibility and broken detailed balance suggesting that the brain operates in a nonequilibrium stationary state. Furthermore, the level of nonequilibrium, measured by entropy production or irreversibility appears to be a crucial signature of cognitive complexity and consciousness. The subsequent study of neural dynamics from the perspective of nonequilibrium statistical physics is an emergent field that challenges the assumptions of symmetry and maximum-entropy that are common in traditional models. In this review, we discuss the plethora of exciting results emerging at the interface of nonequilibrium dynamics and neuroscience. We begin with an introduction to the mathematical paradigms necessary to understand nonequilibrium dynamics in both continuous and discrete state-spaces. Next, we review both model-free and model-based approaches to analysing nonequilibrium dynamics in both continuous-state recordings and neural spike-trains, as well as the results of such analyses. We briefly consider the topic of nonequilibrium computation in neural systems, before concluding with a discussion and outlook on the field.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2504_12188
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Nonequilibrium physics of brain dynamics
Nartallo-Kaluarachchi, Ramón
Kringelbach, Morten L.
Deco, Gustavo
Lambiotte, Renaud
Goriely, Alain
Neurons and Cognition
Disordered Systems and Neural Networks
Statistical Mechanics
Dynamical Systems
Information processing in the brain is coordinated by the dynamic activity of neurons and neural populations at a range of spatiotemporal scales. These dynamics, captured in the form of electrophysiological recordings and neuroimaging, show evidence of time-irreversibility and broken detailed balance suggesting that the brain operates in a nonequilibrium stationary state. Furthermore, the level of nonequilibrium, measured by entropy production or irreversibility appears to be a crucial signature of cognitive complexity and consciousness. The subsequent study of neural dynamics from the perspective of nonequilibrium statistical physics is an emergent field that challenges the assumptions of symmetry and maximum-entropy that are common in traditional models. In this review, we discuss the plethora of exciting results emerging at the interface of nonequilibrium dynamics and neuroscience. We begin with an introduction to the mathematical paradigms necessary to understand nonequilibrium dynamics in both continuous and discrete state-spaces. Next, we review both model-free and model-based approaches to analysing nonequilibrium dynamics in both continuous-state recordings and neural spike-trains, as well as the results of such analyses. We briefly consider the topic of nonequilibrium computation in neural systems, before concluding with a discussion and outlook on the field.
title Nonequilibrium physics of brain dynamics
topic Neurons and Cognition
Disordered Systems and Neural Networks
Statistical Mechanics
Dynamical Systems
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.12188