EEG Microstates, Anergia, and the Reconfiguration of the Connectome – The Dynamics of Tensional Selves in the Living Brain  

EEG Microstates Anergia and the Reconfiguration of the Connectome – The Dynamics of Tensional Selves in the Living Brain

The human brain, as a biological and informational system, operates according to the principles of complex systems physics: it is dynamic, self-organized, metastable, and subject to fluctuations. From this perspective, consciousness does not emerge from an isolated region but rather from the temporal choreography of integrated neural networks that constantly ignite, reconfigure, and dissipate.  

One of the most promising tools for observing these dynamic patterns in real time is EEG, particularly through microstate analysis.  

Microstates: The Electrical Language of Cognition  

EEG microstates are brief patterns of electrical stability in the cortex, lasting an average of 60 to 120 milliseconds. Each microstate corresponds to the coordinated activation of a set of neural networks, forming a kind of functional snapshot of the brain in action.  

They are considered the "atoms of thought," as they compose ordered sequences that sustain mental imagery, perceptions, emotions, and decisions. However, a single microstate does not constitute a "tensional self"—it takes a coherent and functional cycle, coupled with the body and environment, for a state of being—a positioned self—to manifest.  

Complex Systems, Entropy, and the Emergence of Anergia  

In out-of-equilibrium systems like the brain, neural activity is sustained by metabolic energy (glucose, oxygen, ATP). With each perceptual or emotional cycle, this energy is mobilized to generate:  

* A stable perception,  

* A bodily decision,  

* An action,  

* Or the fulfillment of feeling.  

However, when this cycle is incomplete—whether due to repression, adverse context, or excessive stimulation—some of the mobilized energy is not converted into useful work.  

This difference between activated energy and utilized energy is what we may call neurofunctional anergia.  

Anergia, in this context, is brain energy that was mobilized but not metabolized: it did not become speech, gesture, or clear awareness. It remains as residual tension, pulsating in neural circuits as an invitation to reorganization.  

From Excess Anergia to Connectome Reconfiguration  

This residual tension—a product of unfulfilled experience—alters the brain network’s dynamic states, creating zones of functional inefficiency.  

The brain, as an adaptive system, responds by attempting to reorganize the functional connectome:  

* New connections are tested,  

* Synapses are strengthened or weakened,  

* Microstates shift in frequency, duration, or sequence.  

This reorganization is not random: it seeks to restore energetic and functional equilibrium, allowing energy to be metabolized efficiently and coherently once again.  

Michel & Koenig (2018) and Friston (2010) suggest that the brain works to minimize unresolved free energy, aligning with the notion of anergia as a reorganizing force.  

Tensional Selves, Fulfillment, and the Body-Territory  

The "tensional self" is the emergence of an integrated state of being that positions the body in the world with intention, affect, and perception. It arises from the convergence of:  

* Interoception (internal signals),  

* Proprioception (body position and movement),  

* And perceptual and affective activations.  

When microstate cycles are consistent, well-regulated, and culminate in action or expression, fulfilled selves emerge: states of being that fully metabolize mobilized energy, generating pleasure, clarity, and belonging.  

But when microstates become trapped in incomplete cycles—due to emotional repression, sensory overload, or oppressive contexts—anergic selves arise: tense, incomplete, spinning without fulfillment, demanding change.  

*Functional Diagnosis  

Observing the frequency and duration of certain microstates (e.g., types C and D, linked to the default mode network and self-referential processing) can indicate:  

* States of rumination or attentional entrapment,  

* Excess unprocessed energy (emotional anergia),  

* The need for behavioral or affective reorganization.  

Neuroeducational practices can facilitate the natural reconfiguration of the connectome by promoting:  

* Affective expression and bodily movement (dance, art, spontaneous speech),  

* Extended states of fulfillment (breathwork, sensory mindfulness),  

* Breaking microstate > tensional > anergic loops.  

Conclusion  

The brain, in its electric dance, strives to survive, feel, and express efficiently.  

Microstates are the steps; "tensional selves," the gestures; and fulfillment, the complete dance.  

When the music stops mid-way, excess unprocessed energy—anergia—pulsates as discomfort, tension, or stagnation.  

It is in this space of excess that the invitation to change arises: the reconfiguration of the connectome as a response to energy yearning to be lived.