Metastable Oscillatory Modes as a Signature of Entropy Management in the Brain

Entropy management, central to the Free Energy Principle, requires a process that temporarily shifts brain activity toward states of lower or higher entropy. Metastable synchronization is a process by which a system achieves entropy fluctuations by intermittently transitioning between states of coll...

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Main Authors: Marta Xavier, Patrícia Figueiredo, Gustavo Deco, Andrea I. Luppi, Joana Cabral
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Entropy
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/26/12/1048
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author Marta Xavier
Patrícia Figueiredo
Gustavo Deco
Andrea I. Luppi
Joana Cabral
author_facet Marta Xavier
Patrícia Figueiredo
Gustavo Deco
Andrea I. Luppi
Joana Cabral
author_sort Marta Xavier
collection DOAJ
description Entropy management, central to the Free Energy Principle, requires a process that temporarily shifts brain activity toward states of lower or higher entropy. Metastable synchronization is a process by which a system achieves entropy fluctuations by intermittently transitioning between states of collective order and disorder. Previous work has shown that collective oscillations, similar to those recorded from the brain, emerge spontaneously from weakly stable synchronization in critically coupled oscillator systems. However, direct evidence linking the formation of collective oscillations to entropy fluctuations is lacking. In this short communication, we demonstrate how the emergence of Metastable Oscillatory Modes (MOMs) is directly associated with a temporary reduction in entropy in the ongoing dynamics. We apply Shannon entropy to the distribution of eigenvalues of phase covariance over sliding time windows, capturing the temporal evolution of entropy at the level of the entire dynamical system. By demonstrating how the formation of MOMs impacts a system’s entropy levels, we bridge theoretical works on the physics of coupled oscillators with the FEP framework, supporting the hypothesis that brain rhythms recorded experimentally are a signature of entropy management.
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series Entropy
spelling doaj-art-a800a3ccae30460ebe3b00e2c027f4b82024-12-27T14:25:02ZengMDPI AGEntropy1099-43002024-12-012612104810.3390/e26121048Metastable Oscillatory Modes as a Signature of Entropy Management in the BrainMarta Xavier0Patrícia Figueiredo1Gustavo Deco2Andrea I. Luppi3Joana Cabral4Institute for Systems and Robotics (ISR-Lisboa) and Department of Bioengineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisbon, PortugalInstitute for Systems and Robotics (ISR-Lisboa) and Department of Bioengineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisbon, PortugalCenter for Brain and Cognition, Computational Neuroscience Group, Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Roc Boronat 138, 08018 Barcelona, SpainCenter for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing, Linacre College, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9BX, UKCenter for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing, Linacre College, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9BX, UKEntropy management, central to the Free Energy Principle, requires a process that temporarily shifts brain activity toward states of lower or higher entropy. Metastable synchronization is a process by which a system achieves entropy fluctuations by intermittently transitioning between states of collective order and disorder. Previous work has shown that collective oscillations, similar to those recorded from the brain, emerge spontaneously from weakly stable synchronization in critically coupled oscillator systems. However, direct evidence linking the formation of collective oscillations to entropy fluctuations is lacking. In this short communication, we demonstrate how the emergence of Metastable Oscillatory Modes (MOMs) is directly associated with a temporary reduction in entropy in the ongoing dynamics. We apply Shannon entropy to the distribution of eigenvalues of phase covariance over sliding time windows, capturing the temporal evolution of entropy at the level of the entire dynamical system. By demonstrating how the formation of MOMs impacts a system’s entropy levels, we bridge theoretical works on the physics of coupled oscillators with the FEP framework, supporting the hypothesis that brain rhythms recorded experimentally are a signature of entropy management.https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/26/12/1048brain rhythmsentropy managementFree Energy Principle
spellingShingle Marta Xavier
Patrícia Figueiredo
Gustavo Deco
Andrea I. Luppi
Joana Cabral
Metastable Oscillatory Modes as a Signature of Entropy Management in the Brain
Entropy
brain rhythms
entropy management
Free Energy Principle
title Metastable Oscillatory Modes as a Signature of Entropy Management in the Brain
title_full Metastable Oscillatory Modes as a Signature of Entropy Management in the Brain
title_fullStr Metastable Oscillatory Modes as a Signature of Entropy Management in the Brain
title_full_unstemmed Metastable Oscillatory Modes as a Signature of Entropy Management in the Brain
title_short Metastable Oscillatory Modes as a Signature of Entropy Management in the Brain
title_sort metastable oscillatory modes as a signature of entropy management in the brain
topic brain rhythms
entropy management
Free Energy Principle
url https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/26/12/1048
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AT gustavodeco metastableoscillatorymodesasasignatureofentropymanagementinthebrain
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AT joanacabral metastableoscillatorymodesasasignatureofentropymanagementinthebrain