The free-energy principle: a rough guide to the brain?

• Published in: Trends in cognitive sciences Vol. 13; no. 7; pp. 293 - 301
• Main Author: Friston, Karl
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Ltd 01.07.2009; Elsevier
• Subjects: Anatomical correlates of behavior; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Brain - physiology; Entropy; Environment; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Learning - physiology; Models, Neurological; Neural Pathways - physiology; Neurology; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Quantum Theory; Recognition (Psychology) - physiology; Human; Conservation law; Central nervous system; Cognition; Review; Mathematical model; Free energy; Encephalon

This article reviews a free-energy formulation that advances Helmholtz's agenda to find principles of brain function based on conservation laws and neuronal energy. It rests on advances in statistical physics, theoretical biology and machine learning to explain a remarkable range of facts about...