Minimal Structural Sufficiency: From Winning Tickets to Extreme Neuroplasticity
Abstract
This paper demonstrates that cognitive and inferential coherence are governed by structural minima ($F_{min}$) rather than material or parametric abundance. By contrasting the Lottery Ticket Hypothesis with extreme hydrocephalus, we argue that biological systems achieve efficiency through continuous plasticity within a minimal viable configuration rather than post hoc pruning. While artificial intelligence relies on overparameterization to discover functional subnetworks, clinical evidence from cases with 90% brain volume reduction reveals that consciousness and inference can stabilize entirely within a severely constrained structural envelope. We formalize this principle within the Theory of Axiomatic Necessity (TNA), showing that functional systems do not require full substrate utilization but only a minimal structurally sufficient organization capable of sustaining learning. This structural account suggests that F_{min} represents an irreducible threshold where inference and learning become inseparable, challenging both localizationist neuroscience and the scaling paradigm in AI.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Philosophy and Theoretical Science
Neural Networks and Applications
Cognitive Computing and Networks
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
- Publication date
- 31 January 2026
- Language
- EN