Selection versus instruction: use of computer models to compare brain theories

Genomic instantiation of consciousness in neurons through a biophoton field theory

A theoretical framework is developed based on the premise that brains evolved into sufficiently complex adaptive systems capable of instantiating genomic consciousness through self-awareness and complex interactions that recognize qualitatively the controlling factors of biological processes. Furthermore, our hypothesis assumes that the collective interactions in neurons yield macroergic effects, which can produce sufficiently strong electric energy fields for electronic excitations to take place on the surface of endogenous structures via alpha-helical integral proteins as electro-solitons. Specifically the process of radiative relaxation of the electro-solitons allows for the transfer of energy via interactions with deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecules to induce conformational changes in DNA molecules producing an ultra weak non-thermal spontaneous emission of coherent biophotons through a quantum effect. The instantiation of coherent biophotons confined in spaces of DNA molecules guides the biophoton field to be instantaneously conducted along the axonal and neuronal arbors and in-between neurons and throughout the cerebral cortex (cortico-thalamic system) and subcortical areas (e.g., midbrain and hindbrain). Thus providing an informational character of the electric coherence of the brain - referred to as quantum coherence. The biophoton field is realized as a conscious field upon the re-absorption of biophotons by exciplex states of DNA molecules. Such quantum phenomenon brings about self-awareness and enables objectivity to have access to subjectivity in the unconscious. As such, subjective experiences can be recalled to consciousness as subjective conscious experiences or qualia through co-operative interactions between exciplex states of DNA molecules and biophotons leading to metabolic activity and energy transfer across proteins as a result of protein-ligand binding during protein-protein communication. The biophoton field as a conscious field is attributable to the resultant effect of specifying qualia from the metabolic energy field that is transported in macromolecular proteins throughout specific networks of neurons that are constantly transforming into more stable associable representations as molecular solitons. The metastability of subjective experiences based on resonant dynamics occurs when bottom-up patterns of neocortical excitatory activity are matched with top-down expectations as adaptive dynamic pressures. These dynamics of on-going activity patterns influenced by the environment and selected as the preferred subjective experience in terms of a functional field through functional interactions and biological laws are realized as subjectivity and actualized through functional integration as qualia. It is concluded that interactionism and not information processing is the key in understanding how consciousness bridges the explanatory gap between subjective experiences and their neural correlates in the transcendental brain.

Learning from mistakes

We re-examine the commonly held view that learning and memory necessarily require potentiation of synapses. A simple neuronal model of self-organized learning with no positive reinforcement is presented. The strongest synapses are selected for propagation of activity. Active synaptic connections are temporarily "tagged" and subsequently depressed if the resulting output turns out to be unsuccessful. Thus, all learning occurs by mistakes. The model operates at a highly adaptive state with low activity. Previously stored patterns may be swiftly retrieved when the environment and the demands of the brain change. The combined process of: (i) activity selection by extremal "winner-take-all" dynamics; and (ii) the subsequent weeding out of synapses may be viewed as synaptic Darwinism. We argue that all the features of the model are biologically plausible and discuss our results in light of recent experiments by Fitzsimonds et al. on back-propagation of long-term depression, by Xu et al. on facilitation of long-term depression in the hippocampus by behavioural stress, and by Frey and Morris on synaptic tagging.