A three-component dynamical index of consciousness-related neural organisation
Biological Cybernetics July 13, 2026 Hassan Ugail, Newton Howard
A new composite index that combines three properties of brain activity—scale-free temporal organization, cross-frequency organization, and metastable flexibility in large-scale synchronization—separates conscious from non-conscious synthetic brain states without overlap and distinguishes wakefulness from N2 and REM sleep in 30 healthy adults using two-channel EEG recordings. The index captures organized dynamical complexity rather than raw signal complexity alone and remains stable across sensitivity and Monte Carlo analyses. The framework is not tied to any single theory of consciousness and may be applicable to anesthesia, disorders of consciousness, and basic consciousness research.