Cytoelectric Coupling: Electric fields sculpt neural activity and "tune" the brain's infrastructure

Mental causation: an evolutionary perspective

The relationship between consciousness and individual agency is examined from a bottom-up evolutionary perspective, an approach somewhat different from other ways of dealing with the issue, but one relevant to the question of animal consciousness. Two ways are identified that would decouple the two, allowing consciousness of a limited kind to exist without agency: (1) reflex pathways that incorporate conscious sensations as an intrinsic component (InCs), and (2) reflexes that are consciously conditioned and dependent on synaptic plasticity but not memory (CCRs). Whether InCs and CCRs exist as more than hypothetical constructs is not clear, and InCs are in any case limited to theories where consciousness depends directly on EM field-based effects. Consciousness with agency, as we experience it, then belongs in a third category that allows for deliberate choice of alternative actions (DCs), where the key difference between this and CCR-level pathways is that DCs require access to explicit memory systems whereas CCRs do not. CCRs are nevertheless useful from a heuristic standpoint as a conceptual model for how conscious inputs could act to refine routine behaviors while allowing evolution to optimize phenomenal experience (i.e., qualia) in the absence of individual agency, a somewhat counterintuitive result. However, so long as CCRs are not a required precondition for the evolution of memory-dependent DC-level processes, the later could have evolved first. If so, the adaptive benefit of consciousness when it first evolved may be linked as much to the role it plays in encoding memories as to any other function. The possibility that CCRs are more than a theoretical construct, and have played a role in the evolution of consciousness, argues against theories of consciousness focussed exclusively on higher-order functions as the appropriate way to deal with consciousness as it first evolved, as it develops in the early postnatal period of life, or with the conscious experiences of animals other than ourselves. An evolutionary perspective also resolves the problem of free will, that it is best treated as a property of a species rather than the individuals belonging to that species whereas, in contrast, agency is an attribute of individuals.

Laying the foundations for a theory of consciousness: the significance of critical brain dynamics for the formation of conscious states

Empirical evidence indicates that conscious states, distinguished by the presence of phenomenal qualities, are closely linked to synchronized neural activity patterns whose dynamical characteristics can be attributed to self-organized criticality and phase transitions. These findings imply that insight into the mechanism by which the brain controls phase transitions will provide a deeper understanding of the fundamental mechanism by which the brain manages to transcend the threshold of consciousness. This article aims to show that the initiation of phase transitions and the formation of synchronized activity patterns is due to the coupling of the brain to the zero-point field (ZPF), which plays a central role in quantum electrodynamics (QED). The ZPF stands for the presence of ubiquitous vacuum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field, represented by a spectrum of normal modes. With reference to QED-based model calculations, the details of the coupling mechanism are revealed, suggesting that critical brain dynamics is governed by the resonant interaction of the ZPF with the most abundant neurotransmitter glutamate. The pyramidal neurons in the cortical microcolumns turn out to be ideally suited to control this interaction. A direct consequence of resonant glutamate-ZPF coupling is the amplification of specific ZPF modes, which leads us to conclude that the ZPF is the key to the understanding of consciousness and that the distinctive feature of neurophysiological processes associated with conscious experience consists in modulating the ZPF. Postulating that the ZPF is an inherently sentient field and assuming that the spectrum of phenomenal qualities is represented by the normal modes of the ZPF, the significance of resonant glutamate-ZPF interaction for the formation of conscious states becomes apparent in that the amplification of specific ZPF modes is inextricably linked with the excitation of specific phenomenal qualities. This theory of consciousness, according to which phenomenal states arise through resonant amplification of zero-point modes, is given the acronym TRAZE. An experimental setup is specified that can be used to test a corollary of the theory, namely, the prediction that normally occurring conscious perceptions are absent under experimental conditions in which resonant glutamate-ZPF coupling is disrupted.

Hierarchical consciousness: the Nested Observer Windows model

Foremost in our experience is the intuition that we possess a unified conscious experience. However, many observations run counter to this intuition: we experience paralyzing indecision when faced with two appealing behavioral choices, we simultaneously hold contradictory beliefs, and the content of our thought is often characterized by an internal debate. Here, we propose the Nested Observer Windows (NOW) Model, a framework for hierarchical consciousness wherein information processed across many spatiotemporal scales of the brain feeds into subjective experience. The model likens the mind to a hierarchy of nested mosaic tiles-where an image is composed of mosaic tiles, and each of these tiles is itself an image composed of mosaic tiles. Unitary consciousness exists at the apex of this nested hierarchy where perceptual constructs become fully integrated and complex behaviors are initiated via abstract commands. We define an observer window as a spatially and temporally constrained system within which information is integrated, e.g. in functional brain regions and neurons. Three principles from the signal analysis of electrical activity describe the nested hierarchy and generate testable predictions. First, nested observer windows disseminate information across spatiotemporal scales with cross-frequency coupling. Second, observer windows are characterized by a high degree of internal synchrony (with zero phase lag). Third, observer windows at the same spatiotemporal level share information with each other through coherence (with non-zero phase lag). The theoretical framework of the NOW Model accounts for a wide range of subjective experiences and a novel approach for integrating prominent theories of consciousness.

A Human Brain Map of Mitochondrial Respiratory Capacity and Diversity

Mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) powers brain activity1,2, and mitochondrial defects are linked to neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders3,4, underscoring the need to define the brain's molecular energetic landscape5-10. To bridge the cognitive neuroscience and cell biology scale gap, we developed a physical voxelization approach to partition a frozen human coronal hemisphere section into 703 voxels comparable to neuroimaging resolution (3×3×3 mm). In each cortical and subcortical brain voxel, we profiled mitochondrial phenotypes including OxPhos enzyme activities, mitochondrial DNA and volume density, and mitochondria-specific respiratory capacity. We show that the human brain contains a diversity of mitochondrial phenotypes driven by both topology and cell types. Compared to white matter, grey matter contains >50% more mitochondria. We show that the more abundant grey matter mitochondria also are biochemically optimized for energy transformation, particularly among recently evolved cortical brain regions. Scaling these data to the whole brain, we created a backward linear regression model integrating several neuroimaging modalities11, thereby generating a brain-wide map of mitochondrial distribution and specialization that predicts mitochondrial characteristics in an independent brain region of the same donor brain. This new approach and the resulting MitoBrainMap of mitochondrial phenotypes provide a foundation for exploring the molecular energetic landscape that enables normal brain functions, relating it to neuroimaging data, and defining the subcellular basis for regionalized brain processes relevant to neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders.

Neural waves and computation in a neural net model I: Convolutional hierarchies

The computational resources of a neuromorphic network model introduced earlier are investigated in the context of such hierarchical systems as the mammalian visual cortex. It is argued that a form of ubiquitous spontaneous local convolution, driven by spontaneously arising wave-like activity-which itself promotes local Hebbian modulation-enables logical gate-like neural motifs to form into hierarchical feed-forward structures of the Hubel-Wiesel type. Extra-synaptic effects are shown to play a significant rôle in these processes. The type of logic that emerges is not Boolean, confirming and extending earlier findings on the logic of schizophrenia.

High-Gamma Activity Is Coupled to Low-Gamma Oscillations in Precentral Cortices and Modulates with Movement and Speech

Planning and executing motor behaviors requires coordinated neural activity among multiple cortical and subcortical regions of the brain. Phase-amplitude coupling between the high-gamma band amplitude and the phase of low frequency oscillations (theta, alpha, beta) has been proposed to reflect neural communication, as has synchronization of low-gamma oscillations. However, coupling between low-gamma and high-gamma bands has not been investigated. Here, we measured phase-amplitude coupling between low- and high-gamma in monkeys performing a reaching task and in humans either performing finger-flexion or word-reading tasks. We found significant coupling between low-gamma phase and high-gamma amplitude in multiple sensorimotor and premotor cortices of both species during all tasks. This coupling modulated with the onset of movement. These findings suggest that interactions between the low and high gamma bands are markers of network dynamics related to movement and speech generation.

Carving Nature at Its Joints: A Comparison of CEMI Field Theory with Integrated Information Theory and Global Workspace Theory

The quest to comprehend the nature of consciousness has spurred the development of many theories that seek to explain its underlying mechanisms and account for its neural correlates. In this paper, I compare my own conscious electromagnetic information field (cemi field) theory with integrated information theory (IIT) and global workspace theory (GWT) for their ability to 'carve nature at its joints' in the sense of predicting the entities, structures, states and dynamics that are conventionally recognized as being conscious or nonconscious. I go on to argue that, though the cemi field theory shares features of both integrated information theory and global workspace theory, it is more successful at carving nature at its conventionally accepted joints between conscious and nonconscious systems, and is thereby a more successful theory of consciousness.

A thalamocortical substrate for integrated information via critical synchronous bursting

Understanding the neurobiological mechanisms underlying consciousness remains a significant challenge. Recent evidence suggests that the coupling between distal-apical and basal-somatic dendrites in thick-tufted layer 5 pyramidal neurons (L5PN), regulated by the nonspecific-projecting thalamus, is crucial for consciousness. Yet, it is uncertain whether this thalamocortical mechanism can support emergent signatures of consciousness, such as integrated information. To address this question, we constructed a biophysical network of dual-compartment thick-tufted L5PN, with dendrosomatic coupling controlled by thalamic inputs. Our findings demonstrate that integrated information is maximized when nonspecific thalamic inputs drive the system into a regime of time-varying synchronous bursting. Here, the system exhibits variable spiking dynamics with broad pairwise correlations, supporting the enhanced integrated information. Further, the observed peak in integrated information aligns with criticality signatures and empirically observed layer 5 pyramidal bursting rates. These results suggest that the thalamocortical core of the mammalian brain may be evolutionarily configured to optimize effective information processing, providing a potential neuronal mechanism that integrates microscale theories with macroscale signatures of consciousness.

Proteinoid Microspheres as Protoneural Networks

Proteinoids, also known as thermal proteins, possess a fascinating ability to generate microspheres that exhibit electrical spikes resembling the action potentials of neurons. These spiking microspheres, referred to as protoneurons, hold the potential to assemble into proto-nanobrains. In our study, we investigate the feasibility of utilizing a promising electrochemical technique called differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) to interface with proteinoid nanobrains. We evaluate DPV's suitability by examining critical parameters such as selectivity, sensitivity, and linearity of the electrochemical responses. The research systematically explores the influence of various operational factors, including pulse width, pulse amplitude, scan rate, and scan time. Encouragingly, our findings indicate that DPV exhibits significant potential as an efficient electrochemical interface for proteinoid nanobrains. This technology opens up new avenues for developing artificial neural networks with broad applications across diverse fields of research.

In vivo ephaptic coupling allows memory network formation

It is increasingly clear that memories are distributed across multiple brain areas. Such "engram complexes" are important features of memory formation and consolidation. Here, we test the hypothesis that engram complexes are formed in part by bioelectric fields that sculpt and guide the neural activity and tie together the areas that participate in engram complexes. Like the conductor of an orchestra, the fields influence each musician or neuron and orchestrate the output, the symphony. Our results use the theory of synergetics, machine learning, and data from a spatial delayed saccade task and provide evidence for in vivo ephaptic coupling in memory representations.

Don't forget the boundary problem! How EM field topology can address the overlooked cousin to the binding problem for consciousness

The boundary problem is related to the binding problem, part of a family of puzzles and phenomenal experiences that theories of consciousness (ToC) must either explain or eliminate. By comparison with the phenomenal binding problem, the boundary problem has received very little scholarly attention since first framed in detail by Rosengard in 1998, despite discussion by Chalmers in his widely cited 2016 work on the combination problem. However, any ToC that addresses the binding problem must also address the boundary problem. The binding problem asks how a unified first person perspective (1PP) can bind experiences across multiple physically distinct activities, whether billions of individual neurons firing or some other underlying phenomenon. To a first approximation, the boundary problem asks why we experience hard boundaries around those unified 1PPs and why the boundaries operate at their apparent spatiotemporal scale. We review recent discussion of the boundary problem, identifying several promising avenues but none that yet address all aspects of the problem. We set out five specific boundary problems to aid precision in future efforts. We also examine electromagnetic (EM) field theories in detail, given their previous success with the binding problem, and introduce a feature with the necessary characteristics to address the boundary problem at a conceptual level. Topological segmentation can, in principle, create exactly the hard boundaries desired, enclosing holistic, frame-invariant units capable of effecting downward causality. The conclusion outlines a programme for testing this concept, describing how it might also differentiate between competing EM ToCs.