The emergence of integrated information, complexity, and consciousness at criticality
Sina Khajehabdollahi, Pubuditha M. Abeyasinghe, Adrian M. Owen, Andrea Soddu
bioRxiv Preprint Server January 15, 2019 preprint DOI: 10.1101/521567 via bioRxiv
Summary
Using the critical Ising model of the brain, integrated information—a measure of consciousness—was measured in toy models of generic neural networks. Monte Carlo simulations were run on 159 random weighted networks analogous to small 5-node neural network motifs. Integrated information, as a type of order parameter like magnetism, undergoes a phase transition at the model's critical point, where the system's 'consciousness' is maximally susceptible to perturbations and on the boundary between ordered and disordered forms. This adds evidence that the emergence of consciousness coincides with self-organized criticality, evolution, the emergence of complexity, and the integration of complex systems.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Computational simulation |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 159 |
| Population | Random weighted 5-node neural network motifs |
| Key finding | Integrated information undergoes a phase transition at the critical point of the Ising model, where it is maximally susceptible to perturbations. |
Abstract
Using the critical Ising model of the brain, integrated information as a measure of consciousness is measured in toy models of generic neural networks. Monte Carlo simulations are run on 159 random weighted networks analogous to small 5-node neural network motifs. The integrated information generated by this sample of small Ising models is measured across the model parameter space. It is observed that integrated information, as a type of order parameter not unlike a concept like magnetism, undergoes a phase transition at the critical point in the model. This critical point is demarcated by the peaks of the generalized susceptibility of integrated information, a point where the ‘consciousness’ of the system is maximally susceptible to perturbations and on the boundary between an ordered and disordered form. This study adds further evidence to support that the emergence of consciousness coincides with the more universal patterns of self-organized criticality, evolution, the emergence of complexity, and the integration of complex systems.