Application of the Catecholaminergic Neuron Electron Transport (CNET) Physical Substrate for Consciousness and Action Selection to Integrated Information Theory.

A physical mechanism called catecholaminergic neuron electron transport (CNET), based on incoherent electron tunneling in ferritin protein layers, may enable communication and action selection among catecholaminergic neurons. Recent tests indicate these ferritin layers can perform a switching function, potentially allowing groups of neurons to select one neuron to help reach action potential. The paper argues that CNET is consistent with Integrated Information Theory (IIT) and could serve as a physical substrate for consciousness, potentially unifying multiple consciousness theories into a single explanation, though further testing is needed to confirm the hypothesized behavior.

Study at a glance

Abstract

A newly discovered physical mechanism involving incoherent electron tunneling in layers of the protein ferritin that are found in catecholaminergic neurons (catecholaminergic neuron electron transport or CNET) is hypothesized to support communication between neurons. Recent tests further confirm that these ferritin layers can also perform a switching function (in addition to providing an electron tunneling mechanism) that could be associated with action selection in those neurons, consistent with earlier predictions based on CNET. While further testing would be needed to confirm the hypothesis that CNET allows groups of neurons to communicate and act as a switch for selecting one of the neurons in the group to assist in reaching action potential, this paper explains how that hypothesized behavior would be consistent with Integrated Information Theory (IIT), one of a number of consciousness theories (CTs). While the sheer number of CTs suggest that any one of them alone is not sufficient to explain consciousness, this paper demonstrates that CNET can provide a physical substrate and action selection mechanism that is consistent with IIT and which can also be applied to other CTs, such as to conform them into a single explanation of consciousness.