Self-referential processing as the biological switch between classical and quantum functioning of the brain.
Josh Roeloffs, Jack A Tuszynski
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2026 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2026.1783138 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Keywords | Anesthesia Brain dynamics Flow states Microtubules Quantum coherence |
| Key points | Proposes that self-referential evaluative monitoring functions as a biological switch regulating transitions between System 1 and System 2 by modulating microtubule-mediated quantum coherence through electromagnetic boundary conditions. |
Abstract
Dual-process theory of the brain distinguishes fast, parallel, late-commitment cognition (System 1) from slow, sequential, early-commitment cognition (System 2), yet lacks a mechanistic explanation for how these modes operate or how the brain switches between them. Quantum cognition research demonstrates that human decision-making follows quantum probability models under low confidence and classical Markov models under high confidence, suggesting a hybrid architecture where decoherence drives transitions between processing modes. We propose that self-referential evaluative monitoring functions as the biological switch that regulates the transition between System 1 and System 2 by modulating microtubule-mediated quantum coherence through electromagnetic boundary conditions. The causal chain proceeds from locus coeruleus-norepinephrine regulation of default mode network (DMN) activity, through electromagnetic field patterns generated by self-evaluation, to calcium-mediated modulation of the microtubule electrostatic environment. Recent experimental evidence indicates that microtubules exhibit quantum exciton energy migration comparable to photosynthetic complexes, with cooperative robustness increasing with system size. Because quantum coherence enables parallel exploration while classical processing offers stability, evolution would have selected for mechanisms that balance these demands. Anesthetics bind promiscuously yet selectively abolish consciousness, which is consistent with disruption of energy-threshold-dependent coherent processes in microtubules. The framework proposed in this paper leads to testable predictions relating DMN activity, flow states, insight, and confidence to shifts along the quantum-classical processing spectrum.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The entropic brain: a theory of conscious states informed by neuroimaging research with psychedelic drugs | 2014 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The default mode network in cognition: a topographical perspective | 2021 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The default mode network: where the idiosyncratic self meets the shared social world | 2021 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The default-mode, ego-functions and free-energy: a neurobiological account of Freudian ideas | 2010 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Cooperation between the default mode network and the frontal–parietal network in the production of an internal train of thought | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cites 16
- The entropic brain: a theory of conscious states informed by neuroimaging research with psychedelic drugs Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2014
- REBUS and the Anarchic Brain: Toward a Unified Model of the Brain Action of Psychedelics Pharmacological Reviews June 20, 2019
- 20 years of the default mode network: A review and synthesis Neuron May 10, 2023
- Consciousness in the universe: a review of the 'Orch OR' theory. March 1, 2014
- BOLD correlates of EEG alpha phase-locking and the fMRI default mode network Neuroimage January 15, 2009
and 11 more in the library