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Logic Journal of IGPL

Quantum entanglement in brain neuronal circuitry

Nicolas Francisco Lori, José Machado

Published Oct 15, 2025• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract An assessment is made of the role of quantum entanglement in biological neuronal circuitry, in agreement with previous experimental evidence, which indicated that quantum tunneling plays an essential role in the occurrence of the sense of smell. It is here described how that can be physically realistic. Then, it is analyzed how the occurrence of quantum entanglement in multiple scales allows for the occurrence of consciousness in biological systems. We obtain that quantum mechanics (QM) allows for coherence to be maintained in living brains for regions in the scale of the minicollumn, but not much more. The QM waves can then be amplified into classical waves along the brain that transmit information, which existed in the quantum wave at minicollumn scale. For the quantum wave to be able to exist at the minicollumn scale at the temperature of a living brain, several physiological constraints need to occur within the neuronal circuitry. Here, we assess what those constraints are and propose forms for realistically theorizing that those constraints can occur in a living brain at the minicollumn scale. This analysis of the effects of quantum entanglement in biological neuronal circuitry assists in suggesting a new approach to neuronal nets, which we call a multidepth quantum neural net. We then analyze in what way it is likely that in the future a multidepth quantum neural net will be capable of achieving consciousness.

DOI
10.1093/jigpal/jzaf079

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Abstract An assessment is made of the role of quantum entanglement in biological neuronal circuitry, in agreement with previous experimental evidence, which indicated that quantum tunneling plays an essential role in the occurrence of the sense of smell. It is here described how that can be physically realistic. Then, it is analyzed how the occurrence of quantum entanglement in multiple scales allows for the occurrence of consciousness in biological systems. We obtain that quantum mechanics (QM) allows for coherence to be maintained in living brains for regions in the scale of the minicollumn, but not much more. The QM waves can then be amplified into classical waves along the brain that transmit information, which existed in the quantum wave at minicollumn scale. For the quantum wave to be able to exist at the minicollumn scale at the temperature of a living brain, several physiological constraints need to occur within the neuronal circuitry. Here, we assess what those constraints are and propose forms for realistically theorizing that those constraints can occur in a living brain at the minicollumn scale. This analysis of the effects of quantum entanglement in biological neuronal circuitry assists in suggesting a new approach to neuronal nets, which we call a multidepth quantum neural net. We then analyze in what way it is likely that in the future a multidepth quantum neural net will be capable of achieving consciousness.
In the mid-1990s, it was proposed that quantum effects in proteins known as microtubules play a role in the nature of consciousness. The theory was largely dismissed due to the fact that quantum effects were thought unlikely to occur in biological systems, which are warm and wet and subject to decoherence. However, the development of quantum biology now suggests otherwise. Quantum effects have been implicated in photosynthesis, a process fundamental to life on earth. They are also possibly at play in other biological processes such as avian migration and olfaction. The microtubule mechanism of quantum consciousness has been joined by other theories of quantum cognition. It has been proposed that general anesthetic, which switches off consciousness, does this through quantum means, measured by changes in electron spin. The tunneling hypothesis developed in the context of olfaction has been applied to the action of neurotransmitters. A recent theory outlines how quantum entanglement between phosphorus nuclei might influence the firing of neurons. These, and other theories, have contributed to a growing field of research that investigates whether quantum effects might contribute to neural processing. This review aims to investigate the current state of this research and how fully the theory is supported by convincing experimental evidence. It also aims to clarify the biological sites of these proposed quantum effects and how progress made in the wider field of quantum biology might be relevant to the specific case of the brain.
This research investigates the potential of utilizing quantum entanglement to simulate information encoding and decoding mechanisms within biological neural networks. The core premise is that quantum phenomena, specifically entanglement, may play a more significant role in biological neuronal processing than previously acknowledged. This work proposes a novel approach employing quantum bits (qubits) to represent individual neurons, with connections between neurons established through quantum entanglement. The simulation aims to mimic the processes of synaptic transmission and signal propagation observed in biological neural networks. Mathematical formulations describe the evolution of the entangled qubit states under influence of simulated neuronal inputs, and the measurement processes are modeled to represent the observed output signals. This research offers a theoretical framework for exploring the interplay between quantum mechanics and biological neural systems, potentially leading to a deeper understanding of the fundamental principles governing brain function. The study utilizes a discrete-time simulation approach, allowing for a detailed analysis of the dynamics of the entangled neural network. Key performance indicators, such as the fidelity of information transfer and the robustness of the simulated network, are explored. The results suggest that quantum entanglement can provide a viable model for simulating complex neural processes, warranting further investigation into the potential for quantum computing to revolutionize our understanding of the brain.
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Over the past decade, discussions of the roles that quantum mechanics might or might not play in the theory of consciousness/mind have become increasingly sharp. One side of this debate stand conventional neuroscientists who assert that brain science must look to the neuron for understanding, and on the other side are certain physicists, suggesting that the rules of quantum theory might influence the dynamics of consciousness/mind. However, consciousness and mind are not separate from matter. Submicroscopic world of the human brain give rise to consciousness, mind. We are never able to make a sharp separation between mind and matter. Thus ultimately there is no “mind” that can be separated from “matter” and no “matter” that can be separated from “mind”. The brain as a mixed physical system composed of the macroscopic neuron system and an additional microscopic system. The former consists of pathway conduction of neural impulses. The latter is assumed to be a quantum mechanical many-body system interacting with the macroscopic neuron system.
The nervous system is a non-linear dynamical complex system with many feedback loops. A conventional wisdom is that in the brain the quantum fluctuations are self-averaging and thus functionally negligible. However, this intuition might be misleading in the case of non-linear complex systems. Because of an extreme sensitivity to initial conditions, in complex systems the microscopic fluctuations may be amplified and thereby affect the system's behavior. In this way quantum dynamics might influence neuronal computations. Accumulating evidence in non-neuronal systems indicates that biological evolution is able to exploit quantum stochasticity. The recent rise of quantum biology as an emerging field at the border between quantum physics and the life sciences suggests that quantum events could play a non-trivial role also in neuronal cells. Direct experimental evidence for this is still missing but future research should address the possibility that quantum events contribute to an extremely high complexity, variability and computational power of neuronal dynamics.
As the emerging field of quantum biology matures it is becoming possible to understand the fundamental workings of biological systems at the subatomic level. Understanding the complex function of the brain from this vantage point is no exception. Looking at the subcellular functions of neurons beyond the standard classical mechanisms of chemical and electrical signaling offers the potential to design advanced diagnostics and therapeutics for neurological disorders and mental illnesses based on quantum technologies and could even lead to a more comprehensive understanding of human cognition, behavior, or even consciousness itself. Towards this end there have been many theories proposed for how quantum mechanics may play a role in brain function. However, regardless of how promising these theories are, without experimental evidence to provide validation they are merely interesting conjectures. Here we present a review of current theoretical quantum mechanisms proposed to influence brain function (e.g., spin-based mechanisms, optical mechanisms) and place them in the context of existing experimental evidence. We find that experimental evidence does support quantum mechanisms that may exist in the brain, but significant challenges remain in explaining how such mechanisms may influence processes on relevant biological lengths and timescales. Potential approaches to address these challenges are also discussed.