Neuroquantology, the Ultimate Quest - Brain Theory from a Circuits and Systems Perspective - page 148

computational possibilities; and (3) there might be a way for molecules to support a
quantum system, implying the possibility of teleportation and quantum algorithms
within a brain. Such possibilities are not yet proven, but nevertheless they are too
important to ignore.

Introduction to Neuroquantology

Currently there is considerable research and speculation about the possibility of
quantum effects within a brain, with profound implications to intelligence and
consciousness. This has given rise to the field of neuroquantology, a field that
strives to reconcile neuroscience and psychological phenomena with the mysteries
of quantum mechanics.
Quantum computations within neurons may help explain such human traits as
common sense, truth judgment, intuition, artistic appraisal, and other hallmarks of
human intelligence [ 1 ]. These, it is thought, would require orders of magnitude
more computing power than what is possible using the most powerful computers
known today.
By and large, neuroquantology is admittedly prescientific, but nevertheless it is a
worthwhile field that benefits the scientific community. Quantum mechanics is
a valuable metaphor for a variety of behaviors, and if nothing else, provides a
useful vocabulary. It also has valuable proposals for future research. Certainly one
can say that thinking about quantum mechanics exercises the brain, which is a
healthy activity for those who think about it [ 2 ].
Quantum computing was suggested in the 1980s, suggesting that states of 0 and
1 (false and true) could be held probabilistically in a superposition within qubits, as
introduced previously. Such qubits may be altered with reversible transforms,
resulting in controlled toggling and other computationally useful events. Signifi-
cantly, they are easily entangled and, upon measurement, are subject to novel
nonlocal effects. But ultimately, when observed, each qubit is a simple 0 or a
simple 1 as output.
By using appropriate transforms, difficult large-scale calculations become
theoretically possible, although completely impossible classically. Quantum
computations have immense potential for information processing, particularly
since qubits can be small, possibly involving subatomic particles such as electrons.
For instance 100 qubits may represent 2 100 10 30 numbers; these numbers are, in a

sense, processed in parallel. Since qubits may have atomic dimensions, their
promise is great; but they are not yet understood. Unsolved problems are (1) how
to contain them in a coherent quantum system and (2) how to transform them in a
practical way.
It is sometimes thought that small particles such as electrons are unimportant to
biology, which deals mainly with larger molecules. For instance, texts on neurosci-
ence hardly ever mention electrons. Nevertheless electrons are everywhere. They
occur in molecules, atoms, and ions; they affect ion channels and synapses and