Quantum aspects of brain activity and the role of consciousness.

Abstract

The relationship of brain activity to conscious intentions is considered on the basis of the functional microstructure of the cerebral cortex. Each ming nerve impulse causes the emission of transmitter molecules by the process of exocytosis. Since exocytosis is a quantal phenomenon of the presynaptic vesicular grid with a probability much less than 1, we present a quantum mechanical model for It based on a tunneling process of the trigger mechanism. Consciousness manifests itself in mental intentions. The consequent voluntary actions become effective by momentary increases of the probability of vesicular emission in the thousands of synapses on each pyramidal cell by quantal selection.There has been an increasing interest in the relations of quantum mechanics, brain activities, and consciousness (1-4). On the part ofquantum physics the impetus came from the interpretation of the measuring process, which is still on debate, even after more than 60 years of overwhelmingly successful applications ofquantum theory. However, there is the question from neuroscience (5) whether quantum action is needed to understand the functioning of the brain in its subtle relations to experience, memory, and consciousness.It was Wigner (6), in his stringent analysis of the consequences of measurements in a Stern-Gerlach experiment, who first speculated that the von Neumann collapse of the wave function (7) actually occurs by an act of consciousness in the human brain and is not describable in terms ofordinary quantum mechanics. More recently similar ideas were put forward and partly combined with Everett's "many-world" interpretation (8) of quantum theory (2). Other authors (e.g., ref. 1) have related quantum theory to consciousness on the basis of the usual interpretation of the state vector as a superposition of actualities [or "propensities," in Popper's nomenclature (9)]. Not much connection has been made, however, to the empirically established facts of brain physiology, nor have those authors attempted to locate a quantal process in the functional microsites of the neocortex.In this work we contribute to filling this gap by putting forward a quantum mechanical description of bouton exocytosis. The next section gives an outline of the structure and activity of the neocortex as introduction to the quantum mechanical model. This is set up in the subsequent section.

Interactionism, Energy Conservation, and the Violation of Physical Laws

“…A happens more often because it is more likely, and not A is more likely because it happens more often. 8 The same violation is entailed when the nonmaterial self is replaced by a "superintelligence" who, as F. Hoyle, The…”

“…3 In this way, Margenau maintains, the mind can act on the brain without disturbing the balance of energy. (7) Seizing on Margenau's proposal, Eccles, in collaboration with Beck, (8,9) has put forward the most elaborate and specific hypothesis of mind-brain interaction to date. It capitalizes on the basic unitary activity of the cerebral cortex, exocytosis.…”

“…7 The basic tenet of the dualist-interactionist positioncausal openness of the material to the nonmaterial mental-thus entails a violation (i.e., an occurrence of modifications) of physicallaws. 8 Probability distributions, determined jointly by initial conditions and some quantum mechanical equation of motion such as the Schrodinger equation, are altered. One might leave it at that.…”

Quantum consciousness in warm, wet and noisy brain

“…It means, that exchange of the hydrogen ion energy with the vacuum zero-point energy can be available as well. It should be noted in this regard, that the quantum mechanical zero-point energy is mentioned also by Beck and Eccles, in article [40] entitled "quantum aspects of brain activity and the role of consciousness". The mass of the quasi-particle, which they adopt in this article, is the mass of the hydrogen atom.…”

“…Substituting in the equation (25) the wave function represented in the polar form Ψ = √ ρ exp{iS/b} (26) and after separating the real and imaginary parts of this equation, we come to the equations (24) and (23), respectively. It is instructive to draw attention to the Schrödinger equation written phenomenologically by Beck and Eccles [40] in 1992. This equation, written for room temperature, can be true if only the superfluid medium is supported (the viscosity is absent).…”