Biodynamic interface theory
The Biodynamic Interface Conjecture (also known as Biodynamic Interface Theory, or the Arora, Giuliani, Curtin Conjecture[1] was first proposed in 2019 to explain the interaction of complex systems, specifically humans and their environment. It is one of the few formal theories that exist in environmental health sciences. The central claim of the conjecture is that complex systems cannot interact directly or exist in isolation due to temporally embedded functional interdependencies within and between systems. This proposition counters many structural approaches that assume that complex systems, such as the environment and humans, can transfer information directly between them while remaining discrete entities. Although developed for environmental health sciences, the Biodynamic Interface Conjecture has broader implications for the study of complex system interactions across various levels of organization, the central role of time and temporal dynamics in system-to-system information exchange. This conjecture also argues against causal paradigms that (incorrectly) assume that systems are distinct entities interacting directly and ignore boundary conditions, and organizational levels and complexity inherent in biological and environmental systems.
Historical Discovery and Development
The theory was first proposed in 2019 in several seminars and formally published in 2020 by Manish Arora, Alessandro Giulliani and Paul Curtin.[2] The theory arose from the work undertaken on biomarkers that capture temporal information on environmental exposures and metabolism of essential and toxic metals.[3] [4] When analyzing temporally resolved signatures of environmental exposures and metabolites with clinical markers of brain functioning in autistic children, these researchers discovered distinct patterns, corresponding to biological dynamics (including rhythms), in the intake and metabolism of essential and toxic elements. These dynamics were dependent both on the timing and magnitude of environmental inputs, but were also dependent on the biological status of study participants – most prominently, they found that participants with autism spectrum disorder had markedly different dynamic signatures. Given that these rhythms were driven by the properties of both the biological and environmental system, but exhibited properties independent of either system, they supported the existence of an interface mediating the interaction of biological and environmental systems. The practical focus of the Biodynamic Interface Conjecture thus became the exploration of these dynamics in interrelated systems, and in health and disease. Studies based on these principles have identified dysregulated biodynamics in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders.[5] [6]
The Biodynamic Interface conjecture proposes the exploration of functional dynamics that emerge in the interdependence of complex systems spanning multiple levels of organization. According to the conjecture, this can be achieved through the analysis of dynamics measured at the level of the interface between systems; that is, aspects of either system which include inputs from the other. In practice this has involved the application of methods derived from Chaos Theory, Dynamical Systems Theory, and Statistical Physics, towards the goal of characterizing stochastic, chaotic, and deterministic dynamics in the interface between systems, and linking these processes to human health.
Proposal to Establish a New Field of Inquiry: “Environmental Biodynamics”
The biodynamic interface conjecture seeks to refine and guide inquiry in human environmental health studies to focus on a new set of questions, and by doing so its inherent aim is to foster inquiry, rather than limit scientists to making specific predictions. It is because of this insight, that Arora, Giulliani and Curtin proposed the establishment of a new field of inquiry—Environmental Biodynamics—that places time and dynamic interfaces at its core. This was described as a "bold new frontier" for environmental health sciences in an editorial review of the theory[7]
Main Principles and Components
- Operational Independence
- Scalar Dependency and Relativity
- Structured Dynamism (the Shape of Change)
- Dynamic Interdependence
- Patterns, Forms, and Constraints
- Emergent Complexity and Self-Organization
1. Operational Independence. Biodynamic interfaces emerge in the integration of complex systems but are operationally independent of each interacting system. Consequently, the characteristics of an interface cannot be fully resolved by studying the systems (involved in the interaction) in isolation; rather, the interface itself must be the subject of inquiry.
2. Scalar Dependency and Relativity. The characteristics of biodynamic interfaces are dependent on the spatio-temporal scale of the observer. Time is at the core of human (or any system’s) physiology’s evolution, refinement, and function, as well as its interaction with the environment. Therefore, the adequacy of a set of measurements that characterizes the interface guiding a biological system’s interaction with the environment is dependent on the temporal resolution of the observer’s measurements.
3. Structured Dynamism (the Shape of Change). Interfaces are process-based, dynamic, and exert constraints on the transfer of information between systems. Although the interface is comprised of constant change (i.e. processes) it retains a quantifiable topography driven by stochastic, deterministic, or chaotic processes. The characterization of these processes—the dynamics of organized complexity—contrasts with the static or a structural perspective of human physiology which is insensitive to temporal dynamics.
4. Dynamic Interdependence. Because complex systems cannot exist in isolation, biodynamic interfaces emerge between integrated systems. These interdependencies facilitate bidirectional interactions between the environment and human physiology. Within our physiology and within the environment, processes do not exist in isolation but are rather interdependent. The temporal dynamics that emerge at one stage of organization reveal interdependencies among proximate processes, which themselves emerge from distal dependencies.
5. Patterns, Forms, and Constraints. The organization of biological systems is constrained on multiple levels of organization, and these constraints drive and are likewise driven by the formation of biodynamic interfaces. In embracing the framework of organized complexity, we must recognize that the many dimensions of human health do not simply occur at random, but rather are organized according to underlying patterns. Resolving the nature of the biodynamic interface requires an understanding of the bidirectional relationship between the patterns evident in our physiology and the patterns that emerge in functional processes mediating environmental interactions.
6. Emergent Complexity and Self-Organization. No aspect of the self or the environment is isolated to one level, but rather should be studied in the context of self-organization and emergent complexity across multiple levels of biological and environmental organization. In considering the role of an environmental factor we must consider at what physiological level that agent will act, and how dynamics at that level are thereby perturbed. We must likewise explore how these changes propagate to other levels of organization and integrated systems, which drives the formation of novel systems, and how the self-organization of systems yields unique organizational properties at different levels of complexity.
Related Theories
References
- ↑ "Environment, health connect at biodynamic interface, says new theory". Environmental Factor. National Insitutes of Environmental Health Sciences. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ↑ Arora, Manish; Giuliani, Alessandro; Curtin, Paul (2020). "Biodynamic Interfaces Are Essential for Human–Environment Interactions". BioEssays. 42 (11): 2000017. doi:10.1002/bies.202000017. ISSN 1521-1878. PMID 32851694 Check
|pmid=value (help). Unknown parameter|s2cid=ignored (help) - ↑ Curtin, Paul; Curtin, Austen; Austin, Christine; Gennings, Chris; Tammimies, Kristiina; Bölte, Sven; Arora, Manish (2017). "Recurrence quantification analysis to characterize cyclical components of environmental elemental exposures during fetal and postnatal development". PLOS ONE. 12 (11): e0187049. Bibcode:2017PLoSO..1287049C. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0187049. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 5675384. PMID 29112980.
- ↑ Curtin, Paul; Austin, Christine; Curtin, Austen; Gennings, Chris; Arora, Manish; Group), (for the Emergent Dynamical Systems; Tammimies, Kristiina; Willfors, Charlotte; Berggren, Steve; Siper, Paige; Rai, Dheeraj (2018-05-01). "Dynamical features in fetal and postnatal zinc-copper metabolic cycles predict the emergence of autism spectrum disorder". Science Advances. 4 (5): eaat1293. Bibcode:2018SciA....4.1293C. doi:10.1126/sciadv.aat1293. ISSN 2375-2548. PMC 5976276. PMID 29854952.
- ↑ Austin, Christine; Curtin, Paul; Curtin, Austen; Gennings, Chris; Arora, Manish; Tammimies, Kristiina; Isaksson, Johan; Willfors, Charlotte; Bölte, Sven (2019-09-25). "Dynamical properties of elemental metabolism distinguish attention deficit hyperactivity disorder from autism spectrum disorder". Translational Psychiatry. 9 (1): 238. doi:10.1038/s41398-019-0567-6. ISSN 2158-3188. PMC 6760156 Check
|pmc=value (help). PMID 31551411. Unknown parameter|s2cid=ignored (help) - ↑ Curtin, Paul; Austin, Christine; Curtin, Austen; Gennings, Chris; Figueroa-Romero, Claudia; Mikhail, Kristen A.; Botero, Tatiana M.; Goutman, Stephen A.; Feldman, Eva L.; Arora, Manish (2020-04-15). "Dysregulated biodynamics in metabolic attractor systems precede the emergence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis". PLOS Computational Biology. 16 (4): e1007773. Bibcode:2020PLSCB..16E7773C. doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1007773. ISSN 1553-7358. PMC 7159190 Check
|pmc=value (help). PMID 32294079 Check|pmid=value (help). - ↑ Haynes, Erin (2020). "Environmental Biodynamics: A Bold New Frontier". Biodynamics. 42 (11): e2000225. doi:10.1002/bies.202000225. PMID 32901961 Check
|pmid=value (help). Unknown parameter|s2cid=ignored (help)
This article "Biodynamic interface theory" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Biodynamic interface theory. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
