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Journal of Physics Conference Series

Quantum Like Measurements in Biological Systems

Yehuda Gavriel Roth

Published Dec 1, 2018• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We identify a living system as one that, in order to survive, continual measurements on its surroundings (and on itself). We also define a conceptual observer that reads and interprets the output of the measurements. In a different discipline of science, quantum measurements are also associated with an observer who interprets reality through the collapse procedure. However, this time, the interpretation has nothing to do with survival skills. Nevertheless, since both disciplines belong to the science of Nature, we suspect they obey similar rules. Indeed, we demonstrate that both measurements follow one fundamental principle: they both correspond with re-coherent processes. Applying a quantum-like model, such as that of a spin glass neural network, we describe brain activity with the Hubert space concept in what we refer to as quantum-like measurements.

DOI
10.1088/1742-6596/1141/1/012049

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We identify a living system as one that, in order to survive, continual measurements on its surroundings (and on itself). We also define a conceptual observer that reads and interprets the output of the measurements. In a different discipline of science, quantum measurements are also associated with an observer who interprets reality through the collapse procedure. However, this time, the interpretation has nothing to do with survival skills. Nevertheless, since both disciplines belong to the science of Nature, we suspect they obey similar rules. Indeed, we demonstrate that both measurements follow one fundamental principle: they both correspond with re-coherent processes. Applying a quantum-like model, such as that of a spin glass neural network, we describe brain activity with the Hubert space concept in what we refer to as quantum-like measurements.
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It is argued that quantum measurements do pose a problem, within the context created by the fundamental aim of science, which is identified as the construction of a cohesive, comprehensive, and rationally coherent idea of the nature of the world in which we live. Models of nature are divided into two classes: (1), those in which there is a selection process that, for any possible measurement, would, if that measurement were to be performed, pick out one single outcome, and, (2), all others. It is proved that any model of class that reproduces the predictions of quantum theory must violate the condition that there be no faster-than-light influences of any kind. This result is used to motivate the study of models in which unitary evolution is maintained and there is no selection of unique outcomes. A consideration of ontic probabilities, historical records, and the form of the mind-brain connection leads to an elaboration of the Everett many-worlds interpretation that appears to provide the basis of satisfactory solution of the measurement problem. 18 refs.
We present Quantum Mirror Theory, a novel interpretive framework for quantum mechanics that reconceptualizes the observer-observed relationship through the metaphor of reflection. Unlike prior interpretations that treat measurement as collapse (Copenhagen), universe-splitting (Many-Worlds), or hidden variable guidance (Pilot Wave), Mirror Theory proposes that observer and observed are the SAME ENTITY viewed from different perspectives across a "mirror boundary." We introduce the Mirror Equation |Ψ⟩ ≡ M|Ψ'⟩, where the identity operator ≡ indicates ontological sameness rather than mere equality. The Mirror Operator M satisfies M²=I (reflecting twice returns identity), M†=M (Hermitian/observable), and [M,Ĥ]=0 (conserved). We define the Mirror Constant 𝕄 = ⟨Ψ|M|Ψ'⟩ = 1 for perfectly coherent systems, providing a measurable quantity for quantum coherence. The theory is grounded in quantum biology (biophoton emissions, the documented zinc spark at conception, brain ultra-weak photon emissions) and computationally validated through Afolabi Field Theory (AFT). Quantum Mirror Theory addresses the measurement problem by reframing observation as connection rather than collapse, and integrates consciousness as fundamental rather than emergent.
The question of whether quantum mechanical phenomena play a functional role in brain activity and the emergence of consciousness remains one of the most controversial yet intellectually stimulating debates at the intersection of physics, neuroscience, and philosophy of mind. This review systematically examines the principal theoretical frameworks proposing quantum-level mechanisms in neural computation, including the Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch OR) hypothesis by Penrose and Hameroff, the quantum brain hypothesis of Stapp, quantum coherence models in microtubules, and quantum field theories of consciousness. We critically evaluate the current state of empirical evidence—including recent quantum biology findings, the challenge of decoherence in warm, biological systems, and experimental observations of quantum effects in biological systems—alongside computational models that bridge quantum formalism and neural network dynamics. Furthermore, we discuss the implications of quantum cognition models for understanding perception, decision-making, and memory. Despite significant scientific skepticism, emerging evidence from quantum biology and advanced neuroimaging technologies provides tentative support for quantum processes in neural substrates. We conclude by identifying critical gaps in current knowledge and outlining future research directions that may resolve the debate, including proposals for experimental paradigms using quantum sensing technologies applied to neural tissue. This review aims to serve as a foundational reference for researchers across disciplines approaching the quantum mind hypothesis with scientific rigor.
I will show how an objective definition of the concept of information and the consideration of recent results about information-processing in the human brain help clarify some fundamental and often counter-intuitive aspects of quantum mechanics. In particular, I will discuss entanglement, teleportation, non-interaction measurements and decoherence in the light of the fact that pragmatic information, the one our brain handles, can only be defined in the classical macroscopic domain; it does not operate in the quantum domain. This justifies viewing quantum mechanics as a discipline dealing with mathematical models and procedures aimed exclusively at predicting possible macroscopic changes and their likelihood that a given quantum system may cause when it interacts with its environment, including man-made devices such as measurement instruments. I will discuss the informational and neurobiological reasons of why counter-intuitive aspects arise whenever we attempt to construct mental images of the "inner workings" of a quantum system by forcing the concepts of classical information and time into the quantum domain; in this context I will examine the role of pragmatic information as a discriminator in the quantum-to-classical transition.