According to recent theories of quantum gravity, if the mediator is a non-classical system, the entanglement between two known quantum systems can be mediated by unknown systems. This strategy could be applied to the brain, where the role of quantum mechanics in consciousness and cognition has long been speculated.
Bulk water proton spins can behave like known quantum systems; however, they most likely interfere with any brain activity. NMR techniques based on multiple quantum coherence (QMC) can serve as an entanglement control if an unidentified mediator is present. One wonders about the capacity of modern NMR signals to contain quantum correlations, in particular in the cerebral environment.
After adopting a concept created to prove the existence of quantum gravity to study the human brain and how it works, scientists at Trinity College think our brains might be able to use quantum computing. The discovery could shed light on consciousness, the functioning of which remains scientifically difficult to understand and explain.
The correlation between the measured brain functions and conscious awareness and short-term memory function suggests that quantum processes are also part of the cognitive and conscious functioning of the brain.
If the team’s findings can be verified, which will likely require very sophisticated multidisciplinary methods, it will improve our general understanding of how the brain works and perhaps how it might be preserved or even repaired. They could potentially work to develop even more sophisticated quantum computers by discovering new technologies.
Dr. Christian Kerskens, a senior physicist at the Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience (TCIN), is the co-author of the research paper just published in the Journal of Physics Communications. He said:
“We adapted an idea developed for experiments to prove the existence of quantum gravity, in which you take known quantum systems, which interact with an unknown system. If the known systems intertwine, the unknown must also be a quantum system. It circumvents the difficulties of finding measuring devices for something we know nothing about.
“For our experiments, we used proton spins from ‘brain water’ as a known system. “Brain water” naturally accumulates as liquid in our brains, and proton spins can be measured using MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). Then, using a specific MRI design to look for entangled spins, we found MRI signals that resemble heartbeat-evoked potentials, a form of EEG signals. EEGs measure electrical currents in the brain, which some people can recognize from personal experience or simply by watching hospital dramas on television.
“If entanglement is the only possible explanation here, that would mean that brain processes must have interacted with nuclear spins, mediating entanglement between nuclear spins. Accordingly, we can infer that these brain functions must be quantum.
“Because these brain functions were also correlated with short-term memory performance and conscious awareness, it is likely that these quantum processes are an important part of our cognitive and conscious brain functions.”
“Quantum brain processes could explain why we can still outperform supercomputers when it comes to unforeseen circumstances, making decisions or learning something new. Our experiments performed just 50 meters from the amphitheater, where Schrödinger presented his famous reflections on life, can illuminate the mysteries of biology and consciousness scientifically even more difficult to grasp.
Journal reference:
- Christian Matthias Kerskens et al. Experimental indications of non-classical brain functions. Journal of Physical Communications. DOI: 10.1088/2399-6528/ac94be
#brain #quantum #computing