On the possible quantum role of serotonin in consciousness.
Lucio Tonello, Massimo Cocchi, Fabio Gabrielli, Jack A Tuszynski
Journal of Integrative Neuroscience September 1, 2015 DOI: 10.1142/s021963521550017x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Serotonin |
| Keywords | Fatty acids Cell membrane Neuron Photons Plants Platelet Quantum brain Quantum consciousness models Tryptophan |
| Key points | Proposes that serotonin may act as an antioxidant and participate in quantum interactions with microtubules, with the fatty acid profile providing an indirect measure of serotonin levels. |
Abstract
Cell membrane's fatty acids (FAs) have been carefully investigated in neurons and platelets in order to study a possible connection to psychopathologies. An important link between the FA distribution and membrane dynamics appears to emerge with the cytoskeleton dynamics. Microtubules (MTs) in particular have been implicated in some recent quantum consciousness models and analyses. The recently proposed quantum model of Craddock et al. (2014) states that MTs possess structural and functional characteristics that are consistent with collective quantum coherent excitations in the aromatic groups of their tryptophan residues. These excitations are consistent with a clocking mechanism on a sub-nanosecond scale. This mechanism and analogous phenomena in light-harvesting complexes in plants and bacteria, are induced by photons and have been touted as evidence of quantum processes in biology. A possible source of intra-cellular photons could be membrane lipid peroxidation processes, so the FA profile could then be linked to the bio-photon emission. The model presented here suggests new ways to understand the role serotonin plays in relation to FAs. In plants, tryptophan conversion of light to exciton energy can participate in the directional orientation of leaves toward sunlight. Since serotonin is structurally similar to tryptophan, in the human brain, neurons could use tryptophan to capture photons and also use serotonin to initiate movement toward the source of light. Hence, we postulate two possible new roles for serotonin: (1) as an antioxidant, in order to counter-balance the oxidative effect of FAs, and (2) to participate in quantum interactions with MTs, in the same way as anesthetics and psychoactive compounds have been recently shown to act. In this latter case, the FA profile could provide an indirect measure of serotonin levels.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on serotonin, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychedelics as Medicines: An Emerging New Paradigm General population | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Beyond the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia to three neural networks of psychosis: dopamine, serotonin, and glutamate | 2018 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| A Dendrite-Focused Framework for Understanding the Actions of Ketamine and Psychedelics | 2020 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Dreams, Hallucinogenic Drug States, and Schizophrenia: A Psychological and Biological Comparison | 1983 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Understanding the effects of serotonin in the brain through its role in the gastrointestinal tract. | 2022 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- Serotonin 2C receptors are also important in head-twitch responses in male mice. Psychopharmacology July 1, 2025
- The finer scale of consciousness: quantum theory. Annals of translational medicine October 1, 2019
- Slime mould: The fundamental mechanisms of biological cognition. Biosystems March 2018
- The quantum basis of spatiotemporality in perception and consciousness. Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology November 2017
- Quantum Paradigms of Psychopathology: From Consciousness to Neuroethics January 23, 2017
and 2 more in the library
Cites 7
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- Sociopsychotherapeutic Functions of Ayahuasca Healing in Amazonia Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 1989
- Keeping time: could quantum beating in microtubules be the basis for the neural synchrony related to consciousness? Journal of Integrative Neuroscience June 2014
- The Transparent Becoming of World Advances in Consciousness Research October 22, 2009
and 2 more in the library