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This research aims to quantify consciousness through a theory based on the neural architecture's braid structure.

April 14, 20260 citationsOpen Access

The Braid Theory of Consciousness: Crossing Depth and the Quantification of Conscious Experience

Key Points

This research aims to quantify consciousness through a theory based on the neural architecture's braid structure.
Developed a measure of consciousness (Ψ) using the brain's braid structure and synchronized neuron fractions.
Utilized connectome data from C. elegans and Drosophila to validate consciousness assignments.
Derived Miller's Law as the gamma/theta frequency ratio based on the hierarchical crossing depth.
Validated consciousness measure Ψ against complete connectomes for two species, yielding accurate assignments.
Confirmed predictions about the effects of different anesthetics, aligning with clinical observations.
Outlined three experimental proposals for future theory validation and analysis.

Abstract

We present a quantitative, falsifiable theory of consciousness derived from the physical braid structure of neural architecture. The consciousness measure Ψ is determined by the hierarchical crossing depth distribution of the brain's braid and the coherent fraction of synchronized neurons. Three physical facts — neurons are long-lived, neurons are spatially local, and the brain delegates to the body — produce a six-level hierarchy (Levels 0–5) without imposed labels. Miller's Law (7 ± 2) is derived as the gamma/theta frequency ratio. Validation against two complete connectomes (C. elegans, 300 neurons; Drosophila, 139,255 neurons) yields correct consciousness assignments. Differential anesthetic predictions are confirmed by existing clinical literature. Three experimental proposals for future validation are specified. Supplementary scripts for all three connectome analyses are provided. Version History v1.0.1 (2026-04-12) Added supplementary computation scripts for all three connectome analyses. No changes to text, equations, or results.

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