Quantum mathematical cognition requires quantum brain biology: the "Orch OR" theory

Quantum affective processes for multidimensional decision-making

In modeling the human affective system and applying lessons learned to human-robot interaction, the challenge is to handle ambiguous emotional states of an agency (whether human or artificial), probabilistic decisions, and freedom of choice in affective and behavioral patterns. Moreover, many cognitive processes seem to run in parallel whereas seriality is the standard in conventional computation. Representation of contextual aspects of behavior and processes and of self-directed neuroplasticity are still wanted and so we attempt a quantum-computational construction of robot affect, which theoretically should be able to account for indefinite and ambiguous states as well as parallelism. Our Quantum Coppélia (Q-Coppélia) is a translation into quantum logics of the fuzzy-based Silicon Coppélia system, which simulates the progression of a robot's attitude towards its user. We show the entire circuitry of the Q-Coppélia framework, aiming at contemporary descriptions of (neuro)psychological processes. Arguably, our work provides a system for simulating and handling affective interactions among various agencies from an understanding of the relations between quantum algorithms and the fundamental nature of psychology.

Neural Circuits, Microtubule Processing, Brain's Electromagnetic Field-Components of Self-Awareness

The known theories discussing the essence of consciousness have been recently updated. This prompts an attempt to integrate these explanations concerning several distinct components of the consciousness phenomenon such as the ego, and qualia perceptions. Therefore, it is useful to consider the latest publications on the 'Orch OR' and 'cemi' theories, which assume that quantum processing occurs in microtubules and that the brain's endogenous electromagnetic field is important. The authors combine these explanations with their own theory describing the neural circuits realizing imagery. They try to present such an interdisciplinary, integrated theoretical model in a manner intuitively understandable to people with a typical medical education. In order to do this, they even refer to intuitively understandable metaphors. The authors maintain that an effective comprehension of consciousness is important for health care professionals because its disorders are frequent medical symptoms in emergencies, during general anesthesia and in the course of cognitive disorders in elderly people. The authors emphasize the current possibilities to verify these theses regarding the essence of consciousness thanks to the development of functional brain imaging methods-magnetoencephalography, transcranial magnetic stimulation-as well as clinical studies on the modification of perceptions and feelings by such techniques as mindfulness and the use of certain psychoactive substances, especially among people with self-awareness and identity disorders.

Primer on quantum cognition

Quantum cognition is a new field in psychology, which is characterized by the application of quantum probability theory to human judgment and decision making behavior. This article provides an introduction that presents several examples to illustrate in a simple and concrete manner how to apply these principles to interesting psychological phenomena. Following each simple example, we present the general mathematical derivations and new predictions related to these applications.

Spatiotemporal imaging of glutamate-induced biophotonic activities and transmission in neural circuits

The processing of neural information in neural circuits plays key roles in neural functions. Biophotons, also called ultra-weak photon emissions (UPE), may play potential roles in neural signal transmission, contributing to the understanding of the high functions of nervous system such as vision, learning and memory, cognition and consciousness. However, the experimental analysis of biophotonic activities (emissions) in neural circuits has been hampered due to technical limitations. Here by developing and optimizing an in vitro biophoton imaging method, we characterize the spatiotemporal biophotonic activities and transmission in mouse brain slices. We show that the long-lasting application of glutamate to coronal brain slices produces a gradual and significant increase of biophotonic activities and achieves the maximal effect within approximately 90 min, which then lasts for a relatively long time (>200 min). The initiation and/or maintenance of biophotonic activities by glutamate can be significantly blocked by oxygen and glucose deprivation, together with the application of a cytochrome c oxidase inhibitor (sodium azide), but only partly by an action potential inhibitor (TTX), an anesthetic (procaine), or the removal of intracellular and extracellular Ca(2+). We also show that the detected biophotonic activities in the corpus callosum and thalamus in sagittal brain slices mostly originate from axons or axonal terminals of cortical projection neurons, and that the hyperphosphorylation of microtubule-associated protein tau leads to a significant decrease of biophotonic activities in these two areas. Furthermore, the application of glutamate in the hippocampal dentate gyrus results in increased biophotonic activities in its intrahippocampal projection areas. These results suggest that the glutamate-induced biophotonic activities reflect biophotonic transmission along the axons and in neural circuits, which may be a new mechanism for the processing of neural information.