Quantum consciousness: A synthesis of SOC and Orch-OR

The nature of consciousness and the mind-body problem remain unsolved, with conventional neurophysiological methods and theories like Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch-OR), Higher Order Theory, Global Workspace Theory, and Integrated Information Theory having serious limitations. This theoretical work explores the connection between Quantum Mechanics and Statistical Physics by integrating Orch-OR theory and Self-Organized Criticality (SOC). SOC explains how complex systems naturally tend toward critical states, while Orch-OR posits that consciousness arises from quantum computations in neuronal microtubules. The integration proposes that microtubules function as quasi-critical systems undergoing second-order phase transitions, generating objective reduction and conscious experience. This provides a framework for how microtubules may orchestrate consciousness by integrating quantum coherence and criticality.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Despite the advances in the neuroscience field, the nature of consciousness and the mind-body problem are still unsolved. No conventional neurophysiological method has been able to explain consciousness, other than focusing on neural signals. Various theories, such as Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch-OR), Higher Order Theory, Global Workspace Theory, and Integrated Information Theory, also have serious limitations. To better understand the nature of consciousness, the present work explores the connection between Quantum Mechanics and Statistical Physics, in particular through the Orch-OR theory and Self-Organized Criticality (SOC). SOC provides an explanation of how complex systems naturally tend toward critical states, whereas Orch-OR posits that consciousness arises from quantum computations in neuronal microtubules. Here, an integration of these hypotheses is pit forward, proposing that microtubules function as quasi-critical systems that undergo second-order phase transitions, thus generating objective reduction and, consequently, a conscious experience. This idea provides a theoretical framework for the interpretation of how microtubules may contribute to the orchestration of consciousness by integrating quantum coherence and criticality. Future research will be directed toward the biochemical constituents that maintain the essential aspects of microtubule quantum states, their connection to cognitive functions, and experimental verification of these states. This synthesis provides a novel perspective on the role of microtubules in the brain and the quantum foundations of consciousness.