A Multiscale Dynamical Framework for Consciousness

We propose a multiscale dynamical framework for consciousness that integrates hierarchical predictive processing, attentional precision dynamics, temporal binding of content, arousal-dependent gating, and thermodynamically consistent action selection. The framework yields several principal contributions: a unified cellular activity state index that compresses high-dimensional physiological variables into a low-dimensional state, together with a bidirectional cellular–field coupling scheme that formally resolves circular causality; a hierarchical predictive processing architecture with attention-dependent precision weighting and an action selection mechanism based on Boltzmann–Gibbs distributions; a field-theoretic formulation of consciousness that characterizes the spatiotemporal organization of consciousness levels as structured dynamical fields; a self-model that implements homeostatic regulation and neuromodulatory bias, thereby providing a substrate for higher-order representations and attention-schema variables. We prove core theoretical results on the existence and uniqueness of field dynamics, thermodynamic consistency of the action selection scheme, stability properties of hierarchical predictive systems, and the internal consistency of bidirectional cellular–field coupling. Collectively, this framework provides a theoretical basis for future quantitative studies of consciousness, with potential applications in systems neuroscience and clinical assessments.