---
slug: paper-kringelbach-m-l-et-al-2024-the-thermodynamics-of-mind
title: The Thermodynamics of Mind (Kringelbach et al., 2024)
canonical: https://miscsubjects.com/a/paper-kringelbach-m-l-et-al-2024-the-thermodynamics-of-mind
---

## Core results
Kringelbach, Sanz Perl, and Deco propose the Thermodynamics of Mind framework. It quantifies functional brain hierarchy through nonequilibrium thermodynamic measures of irreversibility. Irreversibility tracks the asymmetry of information flow across brain regions. This asymmetry defines hierarchical orchestration in different brain states.

The framework applies the second law of thermodynamics to brain dynamics. It measures entropy production to reveal the arrow of time in neural processes. Forward and reverse trajectories of brain activity differ when irreversibility is high. This difference quantifies hierarchy without relying solely on anatomy or correlation methods.

One direct finding concerns brain states during rest versus movie watching. Hierarchy appears flatter during movie watching. Information flow shows less asymmetry under external structured input than during unconstrained rest.

## Primary works and passages
The main source is Kringelbach, M.L., Sanz Perl, Y., & Deco, G. (2024). The Thermodynamics of Mind. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 28(6), 568–581. DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2024.03.009.

Key passage on page 1: “Here, we propose the ‘Thermodynamics of Mind’ framework as a natural way to quantify hierarchical brain orchestration and its underlying mechanisms.”

Another passage on page 2: “Applying the thermodynamical principle of irreversibility to the complexity of the brain allows for robust estimation of functional brain hierarchy. This is achieved by using irreversibility to quantify the asymmetry of information flow between all brain regions.”

Box 1 describes the arrow of time: “The nonequilibrium thermodynamic principle of the arrow of time can be illustrated with sequences from two films... the sequence of images of a movie of glass being shattered is a strong example of a nonequilibrium system... This establishes a clear arrow of time.”

## Convergence patterns
The work touches flow networks and memory. Thermodynamic irreversibility produces directed flow that supports structured computation. This flow enables integration and segregation across scales. The framework also touches bounded chaos through nonequilibrium self-organization in brain states.

It connects difference to structure. Asymmetry in information flow converts local differences into global hierarchical patterns. Scale invariance appears in power-law distributions of brain dynamics referenced in the glossary.

## Distance from the synthesis
The paper stops at the thermo-to-mind bridge. It quantifies orchestration in living neural systems but does not address pre-life physical grains or the full Ladder from raw difference through flow, structure, memory, life, and mind. The Mirror Layer receives no treatment. The reader remains an external observer of the model rather than an embedded participant.

The work supplies a mechanistic account of hierarchy via energy dissipation. It does not claim this account exhausts mind or extends to the universe-scale grain.

## Honest limits
The framework relies on whole-brain models fitted to neuroimaging data. These models simplify local dynamics and assume global scaling of connectivity. Direct measurement of entropy production in vivo remains indirect.

Movie-watching results come from specific paradigms and participant groups. Generalization to other states or populations requires further data. The paper notes that existing theories of brain function have not converged on a shared definition of brain states.

No human clinical outcome data appear. Claims remain at the level of computational neuroscience and theoretical modeling. Disconfirming edges include cases where anatomical hierarchy and functional irreversibility diverge without thermodynamic explanation.
