Quantum Conciousness
A recent paper was published supporting the unpopular theory for concioussness as a condition of quantum superposition.
The paper, “Microtubule-Stabilizer Epothilone B Delays Anesthetic-Induced Unconsciousness in Rats”, builds on the premise that anesthetic gas causes unconsciousness in subjects, but the mechanism is up for debate. If consciousness is based in quantum vibrations in neuronal microtubules (MTs), then injecting a subject with a epothilone B (epoB) which binds to microtubules and delays effect of anesthetic gas isoflurane on the microtubules should also delay loss of consciousness.
In the paper , EpoB is a MT-stablizing drug used for cancer research and is specially chosen for it’s ability to penetrate the brain via the blood-brain barrier. 12 male Long-Evans rats were used in the study. 8 mice were given an injection of epoB and 4 were used as control. Mice were exposed to 4% isoflurane in oxygen every day for 16 days. Unconsciousness was confirmed using the latency to loss of righting reflex (LORR) procedure: turning them on their backs and waiting 30 seconds to see if they would right themselves. If they did right themselves within 30 seconds, then that time was recorded. Injections of epoB were given after taking LORR measurements. epoB or vehicle njections were given every day over a 16 day period. Whether injections contained epoB or vehicle only was undisclosed to researchers performing the experiment. Researchers were also ignorant to when they would stop taking LORR latency measurements or whether they would provide additional doses of epoB.
The control group received isoflurane anesthesia every day without injection.
Researchers used the LORR method to establish unconsciousness. This method is established by previous studies, making it a sound strategy. In this class we have studied various methods for studying brain activity. fMRI and PET scans can be used to assess whether decreased brain activity indicates unconsciousness. An EEG can also measure whether electrical activity is indicative of unconsciousness. Finally, TMS might be used to stimulate brain areas and assess responsiveness. While all of these more advanced methods are possible, they are inappropriate because of their complexity and difficult adaptation for mouse subjects. LORR is the best method because of its effective simplicity.
The discussion section of the research paper makes the conservative statement that binding to MTs is one of the mechanisms by which isoflurane causes unconsciousness in rats. This language is careful to avoid overclaiming significance. They go on to review other mechanisms by which isoflurane induces unconsciousness, including inhibiting GABA receptors.
The paper goes on to theorize the method by which anesthesia acts on microtubules. Firstly they posit a classical neuroscientific analysis that anesthetics impair intracellular transport and therefore disrupt synaptic transmission. They then propose an analysis from the quantum model, that consciousness is mediated by quantum dipole vibrations in the microtubules which modulate functional connectivity and regulate neuronal firing. Anesthetics would dampen the “quantum dipole oscillations”, which would result in unconsciousness. The authors admit that their findings do not explicitly delineate between the classical and quantum models, but that microtubule-based models for quantum consciousness specifically predict that disruption of microtubule physical states would contribute to loss of consciousness. They also point out that no evidence exists to suggest that isoflurane-disrupted microtubules contribute to synaptic disruption.
In the Neuroscience News article “Study Supports Quantum Basis of Consciousness in the Brain”, the research article is discussed. While the authors of the research paper take great strides to weigh classical consciousness explanations for the evidence, the news article makes no such attempt. They state that this research supports models for quantum consciousness, but they do not analyze the strength of the findings or the degree to which the researchers stretch logic in drawing conclusions. They choose to instead discuss the implications for quantum consciousness if, in fact, later research will confirm it to be true. They also do not weigh how a quantum model would be incorporated into a larger, classical model. The journalist does a poor job of nesting this discussion in the larger debate around consciousness or establishing a frame of reference for the strength of the evidence. They also do not weigh in on to what degree the researchers are reaching. Ultimately the article is more interested in discussing the implications of quantum consciousness as a concept than they are dissecting the research paper itself.
