Minimal Structural Sufficiency: From Winning Tickets to Extreme Neuroplasticity

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Authors: Claudio Bresciano
Cited by: 0

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