WATERWORLD: A HYDRO-MOLECULAR HYPOTHESIS OF NEUROCOMPUTATION
Adonis Sfera
GLOBAL JOURNAL FOR RESEARCH ANALYSIS September 15, 2023 DOI: 10.36106/gjra/4009746 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that proteins possess shape-changing, self-assembling, electron-conducting, and vibration-generating properties that allow them to form global molecular networks underlying physiological processes including memory and consciousness. Proposes that extracellular water turns these networks on during wakefulness and off during sleep, accounting for differences in neurocomputation between the two circadian states. |
Abstract
Proteins are the building blocks of life which are encoded in the genome and regulated by the environment via epigenomic modulation. These biomolecules possess Transformers-like abilities to instantly change shape, assemble and disassemble, birthing compounds with different biological functions. Proteins also present with origami-like capabilities of folding along specic lines, engendering functional or prion-like pathological entities. These properties enable a multitude of physiological processes in the living world, ranging from endocrine control and immunity to memory and self-awareness. Furthermore, biomolecules are endowed with other equally amazing qualities including, linking to each other in Lego-like fashion, electronic conductance and generation of allosteric or vibration "bar codes" which may enable long term potentiation and memory. In addition, proteins may facilitate synchronization of neuronal ring rates among anatomically distant areas of the CNS, a phenomenon believed necessary for consciousness. In this article we hypothesize that global molecular networks are physiologically turned "on" during wakefulness and "off" during sleep by the extracellular space water, accounting for the difference in neurocomputation modes during the two circadian states.