Towards a Neuronal Gauge Theory

Given the amount of knowledge and data accruing in the neurosciences,is it time to formulate a general principle for neuronal dynamics that holds at evolutionary,developmental,and perceptual timescales? in this paper,we propose that the brain (and other self-organised biological systems) can be characterised via the mathematical apparatus of a gauge theory. the picture that emerges from this approach suggests that any biological system (from a neuron to an organism) can be cast as resolving uncertainty about its external milieu,either by changing its internal states or its relationship to the environment. using formal arguments,we show that a gauge theory for neuronal dynamics—based on approximate bayesian inference—has the potential to shed new light on phenomena that have thus far eluded a formal description,such as attention and the link between action and perception. © 2016 sengupta et al.