The Brain Microbiota as It Relates to the Orch OR Theory of Consciousness
preprint DOI: 10.20944/preprints202106.0562.v1 (opens in new tab)
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractThe author proposes extending the Orch OR theory of consciousness—which holds that consciousness arises from quantum computations in cytoskeletal structures inside neurons—to include the possibility that microbes residing in the human brain might also possess consciousness through similar quantum processes. By incorporating the concept of brain microbiota and microbial consciousness into the existing theory, the author argues that the explanatory and predictive power of Orch OR would be greatly increased. The paper is a theoretical proposal, not an empirical study, and does not present experimental data or findings.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Proposes that the Orch OR theory of consciousness could be extended to include microbial consciousness from brain microbiota, thereby increasing its explanatory and predictive powers. |
Abstract
I propose to incorporate the concepts of brain microbiota and microbial consciousness in the Orch OR theory of human consciousness with the goal of increasing its explanatory and predictive powers. If consciousness arises from quantum computations in cytoskeletal structures inside human neurons, there is no theoretical impediment at hypothesizing that it might also occur in the cytoskeletal structures of the microbes resident in our brains. If the concept of the brain microbiota could be integrated in a general Orch OR theory, its explanatory and predictive powers would be vastly increased.