Toward a quantum neuroscience
CRC Press eBooks December 6, 2017 DOI: 10.1201/9780203732519-7 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key findings | Argues that applying a quantum information theory of consciousness to modeling electrical processes in neuronal networks remains an open scientific problem deserving further study, and reviews background on ion channel conductance, synaptic transmission, gap junctions formed from connexin proteins, and multi-subunit protein complexes such as voltage-gated ion channels. |
Abstract
This chapter discusses several previously published results on possible applications of quantum information theory to neuroscience and will present a number of open questions that deserve further study. Applying the quantum information theory of consciousness to modeling the electric processes that occur in neuronal networks in the brain is an open scientific problem that deserves further study. The quantum behavior of individual ion channels is clearly manifested in the discrete changes observed in their channel conductance. Neurons communicate with each other at synaptic contacts that permit the transmission of electric or chemical signals from one neuron to another. Electrical synapses provide a direct electrical coupling between the two neurons through gap junctions that are nanopores constructed from connexin proteins. Multiple protein subunits, each possessing its own geometric shape, may further bind into protein complexes with a quaternary structure. Voltage-gated ion channels provide a typical example of protein complexes that are composed of multiple protein subunits.