Anatomical Support Layers and the Separability of Order and Differentiation in Cortical Field Theory

The Cortical Informational Field Theory (CIFT) proposes that cortical states compatible with conscious processing must satisfy two conditions at once: global phase ordering (C1) and anatomically conditioned spatial differentiation (C2). This paper studies their separability by integrating Ginzburg–Landau dynamics on an anatomically realistic substrate built from HCP T1w/T2w myelination maps and a hybrid Margulies connectivity kernel. C1 and C2 respond to different axes of the parameter space — C1 follows the thermodynamic control λ, C2 follows connectivity ε — establishing their conjunction as non-redundant. A sign correction is discovered: emergent heterogeneity (C2_emerg) has the opposite sign to participation entropy (C2_geo), and connectivity suppresses emergent differentiation rather than increasing it. Empirical validation with ABIDE I multisite data (n=554, 10 sites) confirms ASD is displaced along C1 (p_FDR=0.003) with a bidirectional overlap structure. Nine falsifiable predictions are stated.