This simulation is informed by peer-reviewed neuroscience research and established theories of consciousness.
Below are the key papers and frameworks that shape how the model behaves — from how neurons fire
to why a teenager's brain is different from an elder's.
Foundational Theories
Integrated Information Theory (IIT)
Proposed by Giulio Tononi. Consciousness is measured by Φ (Phi) — the amount of
integrated information a system generates. Higher Φ means richer, more unified experience.
Our simulation computes Φ from neural synchrony patterns.
Global Workspace Theory (GWT)
Proposed by Bernard Baars. Consciousness arises when information is "broadcast" from
local processing to a global workspace, making it available to all brain systems simultaneously.
Our "Global Workspace" panel models this broadcast mechanism.
Higher-Order Thought Theory
Consciousness requires thoughts about thoughts — meta-cognition. Our meta-cognitive layer
models this: neurons that monitor other neurons' activity, enabling self-awareness. This layer
develops slowly in children and peaks in mature adults.
Age & Brain Development
Processing Speed Theory of Adult Age Differences in Cognition
Salthouse, T. A.
Psychological Review, 103(3), 403–428 (1996)
→ Models our firing speed decline: ~0.5% per year after 30
DOI ↗
The Adolescent Brain: Maturation of the Prefrontal Cortex
Casey, B. J., Jones, R. M., & Hare, T. A.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1124, 111–126 (2008)
→ Why our executive layer is weak below age 25 and adolescent volatility is high
DOI ↗
A Social Neuroscience Perspective on Adolescent Risk-Taking
Steinberg, L.
Developmental Review, 28, 78–106 (2008)
→ Amygdala matures before prefrontal cortex, amplifying emotional volatility in teens
DOI ↗
Synaptic Density of Human Frontal Cortex
Huttenlocher, P. R.
Brain Research, 163(2), 195–205 (1979)
→ Synaptic pruning peaks in adolescence — basis for our plasticity curve
DOI ↗
Critical Period Mechanisms in Developing Visual Cortex
Hensch, T. K.
Current Topics in Developmental Biology, 69, 215–237 (2005)
→ Neuroplasticity is highest in early childhood, declining with age
DOI ↗
Age-Related Myelin Breakdown
Bartzokis, G.
Neurobiology of Aging, 25(1), 5–18 (2004)
→ Reduced white matter integrity with age weakens neural cascade propagation
DOI ↗
Biological Sex Differences
Sex Differences in the Structural Connectome of the Human Brain
Ingalhalikar, M., Smith, A., Parker, D., et al.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(2), 823–828 (2014)
→ Female brains show stronger inter-hemispheric connectivity; male brains stronger intra-hemispheric. Basis for our social cognition and processing speed modifiers.
DOI ↗
Sex Differences in Emotion: A Critical Review
Barrett, L. F., Robin, L., Pietromonaco, P. R., & Eyssell, K. M.
Psychological Bulletin, 124(2), 1998
→ Sex differences in emotional processing are subtle and context-dependent — our modifiers reflect this with small effect sizes
DOI ↗
Neural Dynamics & Consciousness
Integrated Information Theory of Consciousness: An Updated Account
Tononi, G., Boly, M., Massimini, M., & Koch, C.
Archives Italiennes de Biologie, 154, 1–21 (2016)
→ Φ computation, consciousness as integrated information — core of our awareness metric
DOI ↗
A Cognitive Theory of Consciousness
Baars, B. J.
Cambridge University Press (1988)
→ Global Workspace Theory — the broadcast mechanism in our simulation
Neural Correlates of Consciousness: Progress and Problems
Koch, C., Massimini, M., Boly, M., & Tononi, G.
Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 17, 307–321 (2016)
→ Framework for identifying which neural patterns correlate with conscious experience
DOI ↗
Default Mode Network Activity and Connectivity in Psychopathology
Whitfield-Gabrieli, S. & Ford, J. M.
Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 8, 49–76 (2012)
→ Default mode network = our "Daydreaming" state — mind-wandering and self-referential thought
DOI ↗
Brainwave Patterns
EEG Alpha Rhythms and Their Functional Significance
Klimesch, W.
Brain Research Reviews, 29(2–3), 169–195 (1999)
→ Alpha (8–13 Hz) dominates relaxed focus states like reading and meditation in our model
DOI ↗
Theta Oscillations in the Human Brain
Cavanagh, J. F. & Frank, M. J.
Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 18(2), 75–81 (2014)
→ Theta (4–8 Hz) during daydreaming, memory encoding, and creative insight
DOI ↗