Application of the Catecholaminergic Neuron Electron Transport (CNET) Physical Substrate for Consciousness and Action Selection to Integrated Information Theory
Christopher John Rourk preprint
A newly discovered physical mechanism called catecholaminergic neuron electron transport (CNET), which involves electron tunneling in layers of the protein ferritin found in catecholaminergic neurons, is hypothesized to support communication between neurons. Recent tests confirm these ferritin layers can also perform a switching function that could be associated with action selection, consistent with earlier predictions. The paper explains how this hypothesized behavior would be consistent with Integrated Information Theory (IIT), one of several consciousness theories. While no single theory is sufficient to explain consciousness, CNET may provide a physical substrate consistent with IIT and could potentially unify multiple consciousness theories into a single explanation.