Cacioppo, Robert: Percepts, Valence, and Neural Computation: A Topos-Theoretic Framework

Version 4 (April 2026) We develop a mathematical framework for neural computation in which percepts are modeled as probabilistic structures on directed acyclic graphs of subthreshold oscillatory (STO) activity, and affective valence is defined in terms of entropy dynamics on these structures. A central problem in the study of consciousness is how structured subjective experience, including both perceptual organization and affective tone, arises from distributed physical processes in the brain. D