Uncertainty Principles in Brain Dynamics: Revisiting the Ecclesian Hypothesis

This paper formulates a unified quantum–thermodynamic framework for brain dynamics, proposing that cognitive processes are governed by two mesoscopic constants: the Brain’s Planck constant (hB) and the Brain’s Boltzmann constant (k′B ). We reinterpret Eccles’s quantum hypothesis of mind–brain interaction in terms of uncertainty-limited neural dynamics, employing path-integral formulations, EEG time–frequency uncertainty relations, and fMRI–EEG energy coupling. The empirical analyses yield hB ≈ 10−15 J·s and k′B ≈ 10−14 J/K, implying that neural oscillations obey quantization laws of the form E = hBω and E = k′B TB ln 2, with TB denoting the effective brain temperature. These constants define the cognitive action–entropy pair (hB, k′B ), whose invariant product ΞB = hBk′B = 10−29 J2·s/K establishes a fundamental uncertainty bound ΔEΔS ≥ ΞB. The theory is substantiated through multiple experimental modalities, including EEG time–frequency calibration, fMRI metabolic entropy coupling, optogenetic resonance assays, and thermodynamic noise spectroscopy, all converging on consistent magnitudes for hB and k′B. The ratio hB/k′B ≈ 0.1–1 s defines the characteristic cognitive integration timescale, corresponding to perceptual and attentional windows observed empirically. These findings suggest that the brain functions as a quantum–thermodynamic engine in which oscillatory coherence, entropy production, and informational temperature are mutually constrained by a universal scaling law. The framework thus bridges microscopic neuronal physics and macroscopic cognition, offering a quantitative foundation for a generalized theory of quantum cognitive thermodynamics.