Self-Organized Criticality and Quantum Coherence in Tubulin Networks Under the Orch-OR Theory
AppliedMath December 24, 2025 José Luis Díaz Palencia
A theoretical model proposes that tubulin dimers in neuronal microtubules can achieve collective quantum coherence, leading to wavefunction collapses that manifest as avalanches within a self-organized criticality framework. Inspired by Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch-OR) theory, the model suggests that microtubule subunits become transiently entangled via dipole-dipole couplings, forming coherent domains that undergo sudden self-collapse. Using a network of tubulin-like nodes with scale-free connectivity, the system exhibits power-law avalanches near criticality, identified with quantum wavefunction collapse events. Estimated objective reduction times fall in the 10–200 ms range, consistent with Orch-OR conscious moment timescales, suggesting a bridge between sub-neuronal quantum processes and large-scale neural activity.