Meninges act as a gate for EEG & DDG: only MHz frequencies can reflect from 14 layers, defining consciousness – a clinical study
Pushpendra Singh, S. Katiyar, Saifullah Tipu, Shanthi Banishetty, Tanusree Dutta, R. Ranjan, Stuart Hameroff, Anirban Bandyopadhyay
Journal of Multiscale Neuroscience March 30, 2025 DOI: 10.56280/1686004826 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study with in vitro neuronal recordings and simulation Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 40 |
| Population | Patients undergoing propofol anesthesia for gastroenteric conditions, plus cultured hippocampal neurons |
| Intervention | Propofol |
| Measures | BIS, EEG, DDG |
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Key findings | The authors argue that MHz electromagnetic bursts, not low-frequency neuron bursts, govern key brain computation and may be the true neural correlates of consciousness. In 40 anesthetized patients, MHz bursts appeared across the scalp only during unconsciousness and disappeared on waking; identical bursts occurred in cultured hippocampal neuron microtubules only when a neuron fired. Simulations suggest a 6–212 MHz meningeal gateway that anesthesia may open. |
Abstract
Despite traditional EEG signals being affected by physical activities like hand movements or facial expressions, and even perspiration, they have been considered indicators of consciousness for over a century and a half. Low-frequency signals ranging from 1Hz to 40Hz are associated with human cognition, perception, and emotion. No one asks: if key ionic brain signals leak from the cortex, how does the brain carry out credible computation using ions? We challenge the 150-year belief that low-frequency neuron bursts are key to human consciousness; ions are diluted at 15 layers before reaching the EEG probe. We argue that MHz electromagnetic signals govern key computing in the brain. In our study of 40 patients undergoing anesthesia with propofol for gastroenteric conditions, we monitored transitions into and out of unconsciousness, comparing EEG signals with those from the DDG. MHz bursts are emitted from all over the brain's scalp only in unconscious states, as tracked by BIS, and disappear upon regaining consciousness. Strikingly, identical bursts appear in microtubule bundles of cultured hippocampal neurons only when a neuron fires; therefore, we attribute the MHz bursts observed in anesthetized patients to microtubule bundles in the neurons. We virtually created and simulated 15 layers between the scalp and the cortex to find that ionic signals (Hz to kHz) are disrupted but still free to transmit, while MHz signals partially transmit and primarily reflect back deep inside the cortex, and GHz signals are largely attenuated at a short distance. Collectively, the meninges create a 6–212 MHz gateway for critical brain signals from the cortex to the scalp, partially reflecting back to the cortex primarily. Anaesthesia may unlock this gate, allowing true MHz brain signals to leak until the meninges release transmitted anesthetic molecules. The one-to-one match between single-neuron bursts and those in unconscious patients' foreheads suggests the meninges gate’s 14-channel pathway to the scalp and positioning microtubules as the true neural correlates of consciousness.