Justin Riddle #14 - Orchestrated Objective Reduction
In episode 14 of the Quantum Consciousness series, Justin Riddle spells out the orchestrated objective reduction theory of consciousness by Stuart Hameroff and Roger Penrose. Biology requires a central processing unit to integrated information across the cell. While quantum computation offers unique solutions to biology’s problems, the warm wet noisy environment of the brain does not lend itself easily to stable quantum superpositions. Penrose & Hameroff propose that nonpolar pockets with limited environmental influence creates the conditions for delocalized clouds of electrons that enter superposition. Benzene rings and aromatic rings provide a geometric means of building superposed electron channels. At the core of each protein, nonpolar channels of electrons create a macroscopic functional unit to guide protein function. Tubulin extend this principle by aligning with their neighbors in a cyclical pattern to create topological pathways. The topological qubits in microtubules extend to their neighbors via microtubules associated proteins (MAPs). Quantum computers require a digital interface phase and a non-local quantum computation phase. Actin microfilaments dynamically isolate and expose the microtubules to the environment through phase transition from a liquid-state (digital) to a gel-state (quantum). As the microtubules are isolated, the superposition grows in complexity until it reaches an objective threshold and self-collapses. This self-collapse is hypothesized to be the equivalent of a single moment of consciousness. As these moments are strung together, a conscious experience is created. Anesthetics and psychedelics are theorized to bind to tubulin proteins and either silence the electron channels or to enhance their resonance, thereby modifying conscious experience.
The “Orch-OR” model of consciousness sure is inspiring. There are many implications from this model with respect to overall brain function. What is being computed? How do the many scales of neural activity map onto this theoretical quantum computational foundation?
~~~ Timestamps ~~~
0:00 Introduction to microtubules
2:50 Subjective reduction is chaotic
7:45 Objective reduction builds order
11:38 ORigins of life
14:20 Delocalized electron clouds
17:20 Molecular microcosm
19:02 Overcoming decoherence
22:50 Fundamental superposition scaling property
26:40 Millions of atoms act as a single functional unit
29:40 Topological tubulin qubits
33:16 Actin gel creates digital and quantum phases
35:38 CaMKII carries bytes of digital information
38:29 Self-collapse sets the rate of conscious moments
42:58 Biological orchestration of wavefunction collapse
#quantum
#consciousness
#orch-or
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Music licensed from and created by Baylor Odabashian. BandCamp: @UnscrewablePooch