Can qualia be geometric? A geometro-diffusion framework for the relational structure of color experience
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Within the Geometro-Diffusion Theory (GDT) of consciousness, we formulate a candidate geometry for the relational organization of color experience. We distinguish a diffusion-induced scaffold, the color content encoded on it, and its neuronal realization. Elementary network examples establish these distinctions and show how consensus-directed nonlinear activity preserves the diffusion scaffold. On a 76-region human structural connectome, a distributed encoding is learned from 16 controlled colors and then frozen. Evaluation on 256 new colors gives a Spearman correspondence of 0.919 with the CIEDE2000 perceptual reference, compared with 0.923 for direct CIELAB distances. Nonlinear Izhikevich encoding followed by the same anatomical propagation gives analytic-neuronal correspondence of 0.924. The learned construction therefore transfers color relations to new stimuli and expresses much of their geometric organization through nonlinear neuronal activity. Connections with predictive coding and cortical gradients identify possible roles for the geometry of anticipated and stimulus-evoked responses. Within GDT, intrinsic access and recursive use link this relational organization to qualitative experience. The results provide a mathematical and computational candidate for that organization, together with explicit empirical comparisons for evaluating its experiential interpretation. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11571-026-10577-2.
Source: Cognitive Neurodynamics
Author: Ernesto Estrada
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,490
OpenAlex ID: W7221840210