Ahmed Shakir Al-Absi

The Bioenergetic Continuity Framework: Synaptic Downscaling and Open-Loop Generative Mechanisms in Sleep and Dreaming

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) June 28, 2026 Ahmed Shakir Al-Absi

The Bioenergetic Continuity Framework proposes that altered states of consciousness arise when predictive computation continues while the underlying information substrate is degraded or partially disconnected. Sleep is the canonical biological example. The framework integrates two principles: an evolutionarily conserved metabolic leveling mechanism requiring a homeostatic clearance phase with widespread synaptic downscaling, and the Computational Continuity Hypothesis, which holds that predictive processing continues during clearance. Metabolic clearance preferentially erodes low-mass synaptic microstructures encoding transient daily information, while high-mass pathways remain stabilized by persistent concerns. Predictive computation reconstructs activity from this reduced architecture, and because sensory input is incompletely gated, this intrinsic activity becomes conscious experience.