Name: TSC 2018 Plen 1 - Tucson @thescienceofconsciousness
Uploaded: 2024-10-23T08:17:00-05:00
Duration: 8 min 17 s
Description: TSC 2018 Plen 1 - Tucson

TSC 2018 Plen 1 - Tucson

TSC - The Science of Consciousness Conferences 2024-10-23 | TSC 2018 Plen 1 - Tucson

The Quantum Underground - Where Life Defeats Decoherence

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-11-07 | NIH QIS/Quantum Sensing in Biology Scientific – Interest Group Webinar
The ‘Quantum Underground’ Where Life Defeats Decoherence
Presentation by Stuart Hameroff, MD University of Arizona,
College of Medicine, Anesthesiology; Director, Center of Consciousness Studies to NIH – October 30, 2023 -

Encinitas 2023 1_6 anirban bandyopadhyay video 1 1080p

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-15 | presented at the Summer Symposium:
Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
hosted by California Institute for Human Science and the
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
August 18-20, 2023 Encinitas, California

Entanglement and Photons in the Brain 
Anirban Bandyopadhyay
NIMS

Denise Ingebo - impulsing 8 23 rev

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-11 | Impulsing: a new model
Denise M Ingebo
Columbia Gorge Community College, Hood River, OR, USA
2.0 Neuroscience
Primary Topic Area - TSC Taxonomy
[01.01]........The concept of consciousness
Abstract
Just like the food pyramid simplifies nutrition, the impulsing model simplifies the nervous system. The food pyramid shows how to practice a balanced diet, leaving balanced nutrition, while the impulsing model shows how to maintain healthy impulse activity, leaving balanced emotional feelings. At this simplified level, all systems making up the body function the same. Our metabolism, for example, like our respiration, works the same in all of us. We use this level of self-knowledge as common ground, making it easier to understand and support each other. Now, for more common ground, we can consider the benefits of adding the nervous system. In fact, we may need it to survive and thrive in our world today. At its core, the model assumes the nervous system is responsible for all conscious experience, including our feelings. By understanding the activity involved in the pathways that form conscious experience, we can see how balanced feelings are maintained. This insight can lead to an improved quality of life. The model defines the nervous system as groups of specialized neurons connected by pathways, forming a circuitry in our body. As with other systems, the nervous system requires energy to do its work. The model proposes the presence of energy in the form of lightning-like impulse trails. When sensory neuron groups absorb energy, such as light and sound waves, they translate it into another form of energy. It becomes the electro-chemical energy, impulses, allowing groups to communicate with each other effectively. As the sensory groups monitor the body and the environment, they form impulse trails along pathways. Deeper in the circuitry, when these trails converge on the same neuron group, they often highlight the pattern of neurons they share, resulting in a resolution. As their energy converges on this pattern, it propels a trail forward. This monitoring and resolving trail work infers the primary work of the nervous system at this simplified level, is to monitor and resolve. And fluent propulsive activity is a reflection of healthy functioning. The model suggests that there are four areas in the conscious pathways associated with four kinds of conscious work. For instance, Area 4 is related to the formation of the tension patterns we call emotional feelings. Understanding this activity allows us to restore emotional balance and develop a lifestyle that consistently maintains emotional well-being. In summary, the impulsing model simplifies the workings of the nervous system, enabling us to promote our own well-being and use our common ground to better understand and support each other's emotional health--which complements the healthy functioning of the body’s other systems. Overall, this helps us become more able to enhance the welfare of our communities and the integrity of our environment.

Keywords
impulsing, impulse trails, impulses, energy, emotion, balanced feelings, emotional balance, lifestyle, simplified model

Encinitas 2023 3_3 aliya grig 1080p

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-04 | Varieties of Conscious Experience

Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
hosted by California Institute for Human Science and the
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
August 18-20, 2023 Encinitas, California

The Impact of Artificial Empathy on the Study of Consciousness
Aliya Grig
evolwe.ai, San Francisco, CA, USA

Categories by Discipline
3.0 Cognitive Science and Psychology
Primary Topic Area - TSC Taxonomy
[03.12]........Artificial intelligence and robotics

Abstract
This research paper examines the impact of artificial empathy on the study of consciousness. Empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of others, has long been recognized as a fundamental aspect of human consciousness. With recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and computing technology, the development of artificial empathy has become a topic of increasing interest and potential significance. This paper explores how the integration of artificial empathy into AI systems can contribute to our understanding of consciousness. It investigates the theoretical frameworks and methodologies used to build empathetic AI models, focusing on their ability to perceive, interpret, and respond to emotions. By examining the existing literature and studies in this field, the paper identifies the potential benefits and limitations of artificial empathy in enhancing our understanding of consciousness. Furthermore, the ethical implications of developing and implementing artificial empathy are discussed, including issues of privacy, trust, and the potential displacement of human empathy. The paper also analyses the impact of cultural and personal biases on artificial empathy systems and emphasizes the importance of designing and deploying these systems responsibly and ethically. Overall, this research paper highlights the growing significance of artificial empathy in the study of consciousness, offering valuable insights into the potential benefits and challenges associated with its development and deployment. It provides a foundation for further exploration and development in this emerging field, offering a glimpse into how artificial empathy could reshape our understanding of consciousness in the future.

Keywords
artificial empathy, AI, respond to emotions, ethical implications, privacy, trust, potential displacement of human empathy systems, benefits and challenges of artificial empathy, effects on understanding of consciousness.

Encinitas 2023 1_2 paavo pylkkanen 1080p

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-04 | PARADIGM SHIFTS
presented at the Summer Symposium:
Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
hosted by California Institute for Human Science and the
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
August 18-20, 2023 Encinitas, California

Does neuroscience need a revolution to understand consciousness?
A view from the philosophy of science.
Paavo Pylkkanen
University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland. University of Skovde, Skovde, Västra Götaland, Sweden

Categories by Discipline
1.0 Philosophy
Primary Topic Area - TSC Taxonomy
[01.10]........Epistemology and philosophy of science

Abstract
Thomas Kuhn (1962) wrote: “…scientific revolutions are inaugurated by a growing sense, … often restricted to a narrow subdivision of the scientific community, that an existing paradigm has ceased to function adequately in the exploration of an aspect of nature to which that paradigm itself had previously led the way.” So, has mainstream cognitive neuroscience ceased to “function adequately” in the exploration of consciousness? And what is required of any new paradigm in cognitive neuroscience, so that it can better succeed in the exploration and explanation of consciousness? In this talk these questions will be explored with a specific focus on proposals saying that quantum theory plays an essential role in the new paradigm. Kuhn T. (1962/1970) The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Second Edition, Enlarged. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

Keywords
scientific revolutions, paradigm, anomaly, OrchOR, active information, implicate order, soma-significance, Hameroff, Penrose, Bohm

Encinitas 2023 1_3 riccardo manzotti 1080p

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-04 | PARADIGM SHIFTS
presented at the Summer Symposium:
Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
hosted by California Institute for Human Science and the
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
August 18-20, 2023 Encinitas, California

Reconceptualizing Consciousness: An Integration of Orch-OR Approach and the Mind-Object Identity Hypothesis (MOI)
Riccardo Manzotti
ILUM, Milan, Milano Province, Italy

Categories by Discipline
4.0 Physical and Biological Sciences
Primary Topic Area - TSC Taxonomy
[04.14]........Quantum theories of consciousness

Abstract
Consciousness requires a radical shift akin to Kuhnian paradigm revolutions. The Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch-OR) approach, which focuses on recent discoveries related to quantum properties of neural activity, presents a compelling pathway. However, quantum superpositions and entanglement, on their own, fail to elucidate the relationship between the subject and the object. An intriguing trajectory involves integrating the Mind-Object Identity hypothesis (MOI), which reverses the relations between subject and object, as well as between the observer and the observed, offering a fresh perspective on interpreting quantum phenomena. The basic idea is that during measurement, what is identical with consciousness is not the physical event embodying the measurement (i.e., the neural activity), but rather the object (the external cause) brought into existence by the act of measurement. To use Schrodinger's cat as an analogy, consciousness is identical with the cat, not with the neural activity within the observer's brain that registers the content of the box.

Encinitas 2023 1_4 thomas bever 1080p

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-04 | PARADIGM SHIFTS
presented at the Summer Symposium:
Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
hosted by California Institute for Human Science and the
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
August 18-20, 2023 Encinitas, California

Natural law and the neuron
Thomas Bever
University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

Categories by Discipline
3.0 Cognitive Science and Psychology
Primary Topic Area - TSC Taxonomy
[03.11]........Cognitive development

Abstract
Consider the euglena learning where it is good to bump, an amoebae activating searching pseudopods, and molds that unwittingly solve the traveling salesman problem, along with the highest levels of human thought. Rather than assuming that such entities solve environmental interactions with the lowest adequate computational, level consider that they apply the most complex processes they have available, especially those that leverage natural law in their service. That is, replace stipulated reductionism as the default theory governing complex entities, with hypothesized natural law. In relation to the theme of this conference: if consciousness instantiates natural law, as the best available guarantor of adaptive success, should we not expect that every entity will start its adaptation to environments based on its best potential to leverage the natural law(s) that access guiding conscious representations? This possibility has been iteratively reflected in repeated pattern in which a respected neuroscientist near the peak of his or her career, makes a bold statement against the sufficiency of the neuronal model: While consciousness is perhaps the ultimate organizational capacity, the inadequacy of single neurons or neurons in small groups for many simple behaviors and complex skills has been confessionally admitted by many leaders historically committed to neuron level mechanisms. This discussion will briefly remind us of a few of these prior revolutionary attempts in the cognitive neurosciences, and discuss some contemporary natural law proposals that both transcend and organize local neuron level support.

Keywords
natural law, neurons, neuron level mechanism

Encinitas 2023 1_5 christoph simon 1080p

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-04 | ENTANGLEMENT & PHOTONS IN THE BRAIN
presented at the Summer Symposium:
Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
hosted by California Institute for Human Science and the
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
August 18-20, 2023 Encinitas, California

Could quantum entanglement play a role in the brain?
Christoph Simon
University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Categories by Discipline
4.0 Physical and Biological Sciences
Primary Topic Area - TSC Taxonomy
[04.02]........Quantum field approaches

Abstract
Could quantum physics help answer some of the big open questions in neuroscience? Could nature have discovered quantum information processing before we did? Motivated by these questions, I discuss two potential ways in which quantum effects might be important in the brain. The first direction concerns biophotons, which could serve as classical and quantum information carriers. We have shown that axons could serve as natural waveguides for these photons, and there is recent experimental evidence for this idea. The second direction concerns spins, which might serve as quantum memories and processors. We have shown that the radical pair mechanism, which involves the dynamics of entangled electron and nuclear spins, can explain otherwise puzzling experimental observations (magnetic field effects and isotope effects) related to anesthesia, bipolar disorder, the circadian clock, microtubules, and neurogenesis. We have also proposed new experimental tests of these ideas. While our results are still far from establishing the existence of functioning quantum networks, they suggest that key components that would be required for such networks might indeed be available in the brain.

Keywords
quantum physics, biophotons, axons, spins, quantum memories, entangled electron, nuclear spins, isotope effects, anesthesia, bipolar disorder, circadian clock, microtubules, neurogenesis.

Encinitas 2023 1_7 aarat kalra 1080p

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-04 | QUATUM OPTICS OF MICROTUBULES
presented at the Summer Symposium:
Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
hosted by California Institute for Human Science and the
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
August 18-20, 2023 Encinitas, California

All Lit Up: Electronic Energy Migration in Microtubules
Aarat P. Kalra
Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA

Categories by Discipline
4.0 Physical and Biological Sciences
Primary Topic Area - TSC Taxonomy
[04.08]........Quantum brain biology

Abstract
The brain consumes about 20 W of power to operate, but this input results in all sensory experience. Does such a high efficiency result from processing only biochemical stimulus, or do brain cells also process light and electricity? Our approach to address this question begins by investigating how intracellular microtubules respond to such nonchemical stimuli. Microtubules play a variety of well researched roles: they maintain cell shape and rigidity, orchestrate cell division and are crucial for cell movement. I seek to investigate if, in addition to these roles, microtubules direct photonic and electrical energy to different parts of a cell. Previous work has shown that microtubules respond nontrivially to electric fields, perhaps allowing them to play intracellular electrical signaling roles (1). Our work shows that, in addition to performing structural roles in neurons, electronic energy can migrate by diffusive energy transfer over unexpectedly large distances (6.6 nm), far beyond expectations from conventional theory (~1.7 nm) (2, 3). While it is unlikely that such electronic energy migration through microtubules takes place in the brain, our work shows that nontrivial photochemistry can take place in intra-neuronal structures. REFERENCES 1. A. P. Kalra et al., All Wired Up: An Exploration of the Electrical Properties of Microtubules and Tubulin. ACS Nano 14, 16301-16320 (2020). 2. A. P. Kalra et al., Electronic Energy Migration in Microtubules. ACS Central Science 10.1021/acscentsci.2c01114 (2023). 3. A. P. Kalra et al., All Lit Up: Exploring the Photophysical Properties of Protein Polymers. The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters 14, 5891-5900 (2023).

Encinitas 2023 1_8 travis craddock 1080p

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-04 | QUANTUM OPTICS OF MICROTUBULES
presented at the Summer Symposium:
Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
hosted by California Institute for Human Science and the
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
August 18-20, 2023 Encinitas, California

Hallucinogenic compounds interact with microtubules to affect brain function: adverse effect or putative treatment?
Travis Craddock
Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA

Categories by Discipline
2.0 Neuroscience
Primary Topic Area - TSC Taxonomy
[02.19]........Psychedelics and psychopharmacology

Abstract
The microtubule cytoskeleton, a polymer of the protein tubulin, plays a vital role in maintaining the structure of brain cells, facilitating the transportation of materials required for synaptic plasticity, and potentially aiding in signaling and information processing. Pharmaceuticals like colchicine and the vinca alkaloids can bind to microtubules and interfere with their function. Interestingly, these drugs have been associated with generating hallucinations in some cases. This suggests that the direct modulation of the cytoskeleton could be involved in the generation of hallucinogenic experiences. Both hallucinogens and anesthetics are among the limited number of known molecular probes that can influence consciousness directly, and they appear to have a dose dependent impact on microtubules. Additionally, very recent work indicates that the known hallucinogens psilocybin and dimethyltryptamine exert their psychedelic effects at intracellular sites rather than at membrane receptors. Here the potential intracellular role of microtubules in mediating psychedelic experience will be discussed. Evidence will be provided for a biochemical basis for neuromodulation via direct modulation of tubulin polymerization by substituted phenethylamines that may contribute to 1) their adverse effects, 2) their main psychedelic effects, and/or 3) their use in the treatment of cancers, neurodegenerative disease, and neuropsychological illnesses. The potential for these interactions to disrupt and/or modulate quantum effects in microtubules will also be explored.

Keywords
microtubules, psychedelics, biophysics, nanoneuroscience

Encinitas 2023 1_9 hide saegusa 1080p

Encinitas 2023 1_10 thomas brophy 1080p

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-04 | PARADIGMS AND PHENOMENOLOGY OF THE REVOLUTION
presented at the Summer Symposium:
Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
hosted by California Institute for Human Science and the
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
August 18-20, 2023 Encinitas, California

Is Quantum Collapse the Physical Window into Plato’s Metaphysical Realms?
Thomas Brophy
California Institute for Human Science, Encinitas, CA, USA

Categories by Discipline
4.0 Physical and Biological Sciences
Primary Topic Area - TSC Taxonomy
[04.01]........Quantum physics, collapse and the measurement problem

Abstract
The scientific “Hard Problems” of how conscious phenomenal experience is instantiated, and how agency occurs in the physical world, remain unsolved aspects of Reality theory. Yet, ontologically these processes greatly impact what actually happens in our world. This presentation extends an ongoing project to develop a meta-theory that can sustain the existence of conscious agency, called Actual-Theory (A-Theory). Steps in the development of A-theory include: 1) incorporate the non-causal-closure of the physical world established by modern physics, through quantum collapse; 2) connect macroscopic processes to the Born Rule statistical interpretation for the “collapse” process of the quantum wave function, non-algorithmic, non-computational in unique events; 3) connect with global esoteric metaphysical systems’ experience-based descriptions of conscious entities and consciousness “unitive” stages as described by advanced meditators. This presentation situates the Hameroff-Penrose Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch-OR) model within the A-theory paradigm. Particularly, Penrose’ (1994 Shadows of the Mind) model of three interactive reality domains (Physical world, Mental world, Platonic world) is examined. Presentations of the Orch-OR model have focused on connections of the Physical world to the Mental world. Penrose also explored Mental world to Platonic world correspondences. This presentation explores approaches to Platonic world and Mental world correspondences to the Physical world, by introducing a fundamental property of the phenomenal world that instantiates conscious experience of being and generates fields that can influence agency. This procedure is analogous historically to James Clerk Maxwell introducing the property of electric charge to explain the category of phenomena called electromagnetism. The new property could be called “noetic charge”, and defined as an ontic property of matter that instantiates experience of being. This presentation explores the contemporary possibility of noetic charge and noetic field-based Property Dualism A-Theory, in the historical context of other new properties that have been successfully introduced to physics and fundamental theory of reality.

Keywords
Quantum Collapse, Born Rule, Causal non-closure, Property Dualism, Conscious Agency, Hard Problem, Platonic

Encinitas 2023 1_11 sean esbjörn hargens 1080p

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-04 | PARADIGMS AND PHENOMENOLOGY OF THE REVOLUTION
Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
hosted by California Institute for Human Science and the
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
August 18-20, 2023 Encinitas, California

Weird Realities - Super Experiencers & Anomalous Cognition:A Multi-phase Multi-year Global Mixed Methods Neurophenomenological Research Study
Sean Esbjörn-Hargens
CIHS, Encinitas, CA, USA

Categories by Discipline
5.0 Experiential Approaches
Primary Topic Area - TSC Taxonomy
[05.08]........Near-death and anomalous experiences

Abstract
One of the most interesting and quickest ways to revolutionize neuroscience is to study the brains of individuals who have anomalous experiences. This approach can challenge existing models of how the brain interfaces with reality and open up new horizons of analysis and understanding. One of the best ways to advance science is to focus on those anomalies which the mainstream models tend to ignore – they often contain the sparks of insight that can start a revolution. While much neuroscience research has been successfully conducted on meditators, surprisingly, very little of this kind of research has been done on individuals who have stable and regular access to other types of altered states of consciousness. Many individuals report having had an anomalous experience at some point in their lives – a precognitive dream that comes true, seeing the ghost of a relative soon after their passing, a near-death experience (NDE) after a traumatic event, or an out-of-body experience (OBE) while they were doing Vipassana meditation, and so on. Some individuals report having multiple anomalous experiences of the same category throughout their life – such as those who have seen ghosts on a number of occasions or those who have trained themselves to have OBEs on a semi-regular basis. And then there are those rare individuals – super experiencers – who for unknown reasons experience multiple types of anomalous events throughout their lives. These are individuals who have a disposition to experiencing a wide range of “weird realities.” Sometimes there is a trigger event for these experiences and other times they just seem to randomly happen. By focusing on these unique individuals who have regular access to a wide range of anomalous experiences new insights around brain structure, phenomenological experience, and cognition can be achieved. Over the course of five-years this research aims to locate and study these super experiencers and develop neuro-phenomenological and biofield (i.e., subtle energy system) profiles for them. The research will be conducted in three major phases: · Phase 1: 5000 surveys will be collected from individuals worldwide who have anomalous experiences; · Phase 2: 100 individuals will be selected from Phase 1 for in-depth interviews and psychometric assessments using over a dozen standard instruments; and · Phase 3: 50 individuals will be selected from Phase 2 for developing neurological imaging and subtle energy assessments. The goal of this research is to better understand the unique psychological, phenomenological, neurological, biophysical, and subtle energy markers and conditions that super experiencers have that play an experiential, emotional, cognitive, and biological role in their unique capacity for anomalous cognition. Through this study of weird realities current neuroscience models of perception and experience will be reviewed and revised and new models will be pioneered. And we may just discover that reality is actually weirder than we often want to admit

Encinitas 2023 2_1 kassandra & richard mckenney 1080p

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-04 | MICROTUBULE BIOLOGY
presented at the Summer Symposium:
Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
hosted by California Institute for Human Science and the
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
August 18-20, 2023 Encinitas, California

Microtubules in Cellular Functions and Organism Behavior.
Richard J. McKenney1, Kassandra M Ori-McKenney2
1University of California - Davis, Davis, CA, USA. 2University of California - Davis, Davis, CA, USA

Categories by Discipline
4.0 Physical and Biological Sciences
Primary Topic Area - TSC Taxonomy
[04.08]........Quantum brain biology

Abstract
Microtubules are cytoskeletal polymers that play critical roles in most cell types. Microtubules are important for long-distance transport within cells, acting as train tracks for molecular motor proteins that move along their surface. This function is particularly important for highly elongated cells such as neurons. In addition, microtubules are assembly platforms for a multitude of other critical cellular proteins, termed microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs). Microtubules are composed of polymerized alpha- and beta-tubulin dimers, building blocks that arise from a large family of related genes and can be chemically modified in unique ways. Different cells express various types of tubulins that, combined with the chemical modifications, make up a ‘tubulin code’ that is read out by MAPs within cells to exert particular cellular functions. In addition, the structure of the microtubule lattice is not constant, but is tuned through the action of MAPs to induce differential microtubule functions. We have studied the biology of microtubules and MAPs for over 20 years and will discuss our recent findings on the role of MAPs in altering microtubule structure, cellular functions, and organism behavior. In particular, we have focused on the Alzheimer’s Disease MAP, tau, and discovered novel molecular behaviors of tau that alter the structure of the microtubule lattice for cellular functions. We have further found that overexpression of human tau in the brains of adult Drosophila (fly) males induces unique aggressive behaviors that we seldom observe in wild-type flies. We discuss our findings of inducing intent using human tau in a Drosophila model of behavior, and end with hypotheses for the role of MAPs in modulating microtubules for higher-order cognitive processing.

Keywords
microtubules, cytoskeletal polymers, MAPs - microtubule-associated proteins, tubulins, Drosophila model of behavior, tau

Encinitas 2023 2_2 rajnish khanna 1080p

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-04 | MICROTUBULE BIOLOGY
presented at the Summer Symposium:
Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
hosted by California Institute for Human Science and the
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
August 18-20, 2023 Encinitas, California

Microtubules mediate plant responses to anesthetics
Rajnish Khanna1,2, Andrey Malkovskiy1, Verena Tomasini1, Grace Jang3, M. Bruce MacIver3
1Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA, USA. 2i-Cultiver, Inc., Manteca, CA, USA. 3Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

Categories by Discipline
2.0 Neuroscience
Primary Topic Area - TSC Taxonomy
[02.10]........Anesthesia

Abstract
How anesthetics induce loss of consciousness is poorly understood. The effects of anesthetics are dose-dependent and reversible in disrupting cognition and movement, while maintaining life-supporting functions. Recent studies have shown disordering of membrane lipid clusters in response to chloroform, and block of neurotransmitter vesicle release by isoflurane, implying functional disruption at cellular level. Plants lack nervous systems, however the anesthetics used in humans and animals inhibit plant growth and leaf movement. Plants and animals shared a common ancestor 1.6 billion years ago, it has been proposed that plants could be a good experimental system to understand how anesthesia works at the molecular level. In a systematic approach, we found that similar concentrations of isoflurane used to induce loss of consciousness in animals were effective in reversibly inhibiting blue-light mediated phototropic response in young seedlings of Arabidopsis thaliana (mouse cress). Red-light mediated seedling growth and development was suppressed equally in wild-type and phyB-mutant seedlings, indicating that the effects of isoflurane were independent of loss of photoreceptor function. Based on the proposal by Sir Roger Penrose and Dr. Stuart Hameroff that microtubules are involved in the Orchestrated Objective Reduction theory, we tested wild-type and constitutively photomorphogenic 1 (cop1) mutant plants expressing GFP-TUBULIN treated with various concentrations of isoflurane. Clinically relevant (in human) isoflurane concentrations destabilized microtubules reversibly in control seedlings, but not in cop1 mutants. COP1 protein is a E3 ubiquitin ligase, which destabilizes components required for light-mediated growth. As a result, cop1 mutant seedlings exhibit light-dependent growth even in darkness. We have identified a potential mechanism whereby a microtubule stabilizing component, which is targeted for degradation by COP1, accumulates in cop1 mutant seedlings and blocks isoflurane from directly binding to microtubules. This work is ongoing, utilizing genetic and molecular tools that are readily available in plant models. These findings will reveal molecular mechanisms involved in anesthetic activity at microtubules, with relevance to human and animal systems, and could potentially lead to a better understanding of consciousness.

Keywords
Anesthesia, plant responses, microtubules

Encinitas 2023 2_3 sir roger penrose 1080p

Encinitas 2023 2_4 daniel sheehan 1080p

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-04 | FREE WILL AND RETROACTIVITY
presented at the Summer Symposium:
Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
hosted by California Institute for Human Science and the
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
August 18-20, 2023 Encinitas, California

It Does Not Compute: Experimental Evidence for the Non-Algorithmic
Nature of Human Consciousness
Daniel P. Sheehan, Patricia S. Cyrus
University of San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA

Categories by Discipline
4.0 Physical and Biological Sciences
Primary Topic Area - TSC Taxonomy
[04.08]........Quantum brain biology

Abstract
In the neuroscience community, the consensus view holds that consciousness arises from classical-mechanical, electrochemical interactions between neurons in the brain and that mental operations are analogous to those in classical computers, that is, computable (algorithmic). While these hypotheses can explain much, there are objections. For example, Penrose claims some forms of human thought must be non-algorithmic, based on extensions of G\"{o}del's incompleteness theorems. Meanwhile, theories by Hameroff-Penrose, Nowakowski, and Sheehan-Cyrus assert that the mind has fundamentally quantum mechanical aspects. In this talk we review experimental evidence that indicates some human mental operations are intrinsically non-algorithmic and that consciousness is likely quantum in nature, to some degree. Extending beyond Libet's famous intercranial experiments, we consider {\em precognition} both in its conscious and unconscious forms: {\em controlled future remote viewing} and {\em presentiment}, respectively. Among numerous experiments, those by Bem and by Graff and Cyrus clearly demonstrate that, under appropriate conditions, humans are able to perceive random events in the future (with a time horizon up to a few days), which is equivalent to determining the identity of a random number days before it is chosen. Such a task is impossible for any classical (algorithmic) computer, either in a present moment and, especially, three days in advance. Therefore, precognition of random future events is an intrinsically non-computable (non-algorithmic) process which is available to humans but not to classical computers. We propose precognition as the basis for a new type of Turing test, one that no classical type of artificial intelligence (AI) can defeat. Purely classical processes cannot account for the phenomenon of {\em retrocausation}, the proposition that future events can affect -- or establish physical correlations with -- present ones, the temporal reverse of normal causation. Nor can classical processes account for precognition. Several versions of quantum mechanics, however, explicitly invoke retrocausation in their descriptions (e.g., Two-State Vector Formalism, Transactional Interpretation). It appears plausible, then, that precognition may have roots in quantum brain processes, perhaps down to the micro-level (e.g., microtubules) but certainly manifesting at the macro-level. Whether quantum-based artificial intelligence (QAI) will demonstrate precognition and non-algorithmic thinking is an open question; however, the propensity for quantum systems to enjoy retrocausation seems to open the possibility. In summary, numerous experiments in precognition provide strong support for the following five propositions:\\ 1) Precognition is evidence of retrocausation.\\ 2) Human consciousness is probably quantum mechanical in some respects.\\ 3) Some conscious and unconscious modes of cognition and perception (e.g., precognition) are intrinsically non-algorithmic, hence not computable by classical computers.\\ 4) A Turing test based on precognition can defeat any type of classical AI.\\ 5) Quantum AI might be capable of precognition and, if so, it might defeat this neo-Turing test, thus demonstrating non-algorithmic processing. Together these argue for a more expansive view of human consciousness as well as neurophysical and neurophysiological processes beyond those currently embraced by the neuroscience community.

Keywords
consciousness, computability, Turing machines, precognition, quantum theories of consciousness, retrocausation, time

Encinitas 2023 2_5 dante lauretta 1080p

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-04 | Astrobiology and Astro Consciousness
presented at the Summer Symposium:
Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
hosted by California Institute for Human Science and the
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
August 18-20, 2023 Encinitas, California

Exploring the Quantum Origin of Life
Dante S Lauretta
University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

Categories by Discipline
4.0 Physical and Biological Sciences
Primary Topic Area - TSC Taxonomy
[04.10]........Origin and nature of life

Abstract
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission is scheduled to return a sample of carbon-rich material from near-Earth asteroid Bennu this September. One of the key objectives of the mission is to evaluate the exogenous delivery hypothesis in which carbonaceous asteroids delivered prebiotic compounds essential to the origin of life. We postulate that quantum coherence may have played a crucial role in the unification and organization of complex molecular interactions within living systems. Organic molecules, including aromatic carbon rings with delocalized electron clouds such as benzene, indole rings, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), are of particular interest in our investigation. These molecules, prevalent in the universe, are essential to biochemistry and are conducive to quantum optical effects, including quantum dipole oscillations, fluorescence, and radiating terahertz. PAHs, found in interstellar dust, meteorites, and even within our own solar system, hold significant potential for the origin of life on Earth. We will discuss their possible roles in the emergence of life and consciousness.

Keywords
origin of life, astrobiology, quantum consciousness, nucleic acids, proteins

Encinitas 2023 1_01 mani bhaumik 1080p

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-04 | Welcome/Award Ceremony
Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
hosted by California Institute for Human Science and the
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
August 18-20, 2023 Encinitas, California

Encinitas 2023 3_4 jack tuszynski 1080p

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-04 | Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
hosted by California Institute for Human Science and the
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
August 18-20, 2023 Encinitas, California

On the biophysical properties of microtubules and their functional significance for neurons
Jack Tuszynski
DIMEAS, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy. University of Alberta, Department of Physics, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Categories by Discipline
4.0 Physical and Biological Sciences
Primary Topic Area - TSC Taxonomy
[04.08]........Quantum brain biology

Abstract
Microtubules (MTs) and their supramolecular constructs (centrioles, MT bundles of neurons, cilia, flagella, MT-mitochondria complexes, etc.) are critical to the function of all eukaryotic cells in cell division, intracellular transport, ion channel modulation, cell motility, and signal propagation. I will provide an overview of the many interesting biophysical and biochemical properties of microtubules focusing on their responses to electromagnetic fields. The building block of microtubules, the heterodimer of alpha and beta tubulin has been well characterized at an atomistic level. With the knowledge of the crystallographic structure of tubulin it has been possible to analyze its electrostatic properties, conductive properties in ionic solutions including transistor- and memristor-like behavior as well as sensitivity to electromagnetic fields. These electromagnetic properties of MTs and their constructs suggest their potential for electromagnetic energy transduction at a cellular level, including cell-cell communication. The role of long-range electromagnetic interactions involving MTs challenges the central dogma of molecular biology. Finally, I will briefly discuss the possibility of MTs supporting quantum excitations in neurons as a key aspect of human consciousness.

Encinitas 2023 3_5 tam hunt 1080p

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-04 | EM FIELDS
presented at the Summer Symposium:
Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
hosted by California Institute for Human Science and the
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
August 18-20, 2023 Encinitas, California

Fields or firings? Comparing the spike code and the electromagnetic field hypothesis
Tam Hunt
UC Santa Barbara-METALAB, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

Categories by Discipline
2.0 Neuroscience
Primary Topic Area - TSC Taxonomy
[02.02]........Methodologies (fMRI, EEG etc.)

Abstract
Where is consciousness? Neurobiological theories of consciousness look primarily to synaptic firing and “spike codes” as the physical substrate of consciousness, although the specific mechanisms of consciousness remain unknown. Synaptic firing results from electrochemical processes in neuron axons and dendrites. All neurons also produce electromagnetic (EM) fields due to various mechanisms, including the electric potential created by transmembrane ion flows, known as “local field potentials,” but there are also more meso-scale and macro-scale EM fields present in the brain. The functional role of these EM fields has long been a source of debate. We suggest that these fields, in both their local and global forms, may be the primary seat of consciousness, working as a gestalt with synaptic firing and other aspects of neuroanatomy to produce the marvelous complexity of minds. We call this assertion the “electromagnetic field hypothesis.” The neuroanatomy of the brain produces the local and global EM fields but these fields are not identical with the anatomy of the brain. These fields are produced by, but not identical with, the brain, in the same manner that twigs and leaves are produced by a tree’s branches and trunk but are not the same as the branches and trunk. As such, the EM fields represent the more granular, both spatially and temporally, aspects of the brain’s structure and functioning than the neuroanatomy of the brain. The brain’s various EM fields seem to be more sensitive to small changes than the neuroanatomy of the brain. We discuss issues with the spike code approach as well as the various lines of evidence supporting our argument that the brain’s EM fields may be the primary seat of consciousness. This evidence (which occupies most of the paper) suggests that oscillating neural EM fields may make firing in neural circuits oscillate, and these oscillating circuits may help unify and guide conscious cognition. recently published paper: frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1029715/full

Keywords
neurobiological theories of consciousness, synaptic firing, neuron axons, dendrites, EM Electromagnetic fields, meso-scale, macro-scale EM fields

Encinitas 2023 3_6 dimitri pinotsis 1080p

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-04 | EM FIELDS

Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
hosted by California Institute for Human Science and the
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
August 18-20, 2023 Encinitas, California

Cytoelectric coupling: electric fields guide the cytoskeleton
Dimitrios Pinotsis
London, England, UK, United Kingdom

Categories by Discipline
2.0 Neuroscience
Primary Topic Area - TSC Taxonomy
[03.13]........Neural networks and connectionism

Abstract
We propose the Cytoelectric Coupling Hypothesis: Electric fields generated by neurons are causal down to the level of the cytoskeleton. This could be achieved via ephaptic coupling that organizes neural activity, forming neural ensembles at the macroscale level. We suggest that this information propagates to the neuron level, affecting spiking, and down to molecular level to stabilize the cytoskeleton, “tuning” it to process information more efficiently. We study groups of neurons coactivated when a certain memory, thought or percept is stored or processed, known as cell assemblies or neural ensembles. We consider the electric fields generated by them and suggest that they interact and guide synaptic activity. The talk will provide mathematical descriptions of the interactions between synaptic and field activity and consider the effects of other biological structures, like proteins, filaments and microtubules. Granger causality and Representation Similarity Analyses will be used to show that electric fields can act as “guardrails” that stabilize and funnel the underlying neural activity and could mediate the transfer of memories and thoughts between brain areas.

Encinitas 2023 3_7 anirban bandyopadhyay 1080p

Encinitas 2023 3_8 jay sanguinetti 1080p

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-04 | THERAPEUTIC NEURO ULTRASOUND
Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
hosted by California Institute for Human Science and the
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
August 18-20, 2023 Encinitas, California

Mapping the Brain Networks with Focused Ultrasound
Joseph L. Sanguinetti

Categories by Discipline
3.0 Cognitive Science and Psychology
Primary Topic Area - TSC Taxonomy
[02.02]........Methodologies (fMRI, EEG etc.)

Abstract
In contemporary neuroscience, noninvasive brain stimulation methods play a crucial role in deciphering the relationship between neural activity and behavior. While they provide insights into consciousness, certain neural structures, notably the Default Mode Network (DMN), remain inaccessible to many of these techniques, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). In this talk, I will highlight our recent work in modulating the DMN using the emergent technology of transcranial focused ultrasound neuromodulation (tFUS). With its precise and safe low-intensity acoustic deep brain modulation, tFUS offers many advantages to consciousness research. We've conducted studies altering DMN connectivity with tFUS, leading to alterations in conscious experience consistent with predictions from neuroimaging research. Additionally, combining tFUS with mindfulness meditation, we successfully induced advanced meditative states in seasoned practitioners. Overall, our results underscore tFUS's potential as a pivotal tool for understanding consciousness and advancing the field of consciousness studies.

Encinitas 2023 3_9 sterling cooley 1080p

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-04 | THERAPEUTIC NEURO-ULTRASOUND
Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
hosted by California Institute for Human Science and the
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
August 18-20, 2023 Encinitas, California

Using Ultrasound To Regulate Enzyme Activity: Exploring Therapeutic Targets
To Treat Alzheimers
Sterling Cooley
UltrasoundDAO, Seattle, WA, USA

Categories by Discipline
2.0 Neuroscience
Primary Topic Area - TSC Taxonomy
[02.16]........Brain stimulation techniques

Abstract
This talk explores the potential of ultrasound technology to alter the kinetic activity of enzymes, with the aim of enhancing the proliferation of crucial neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin. By carefully tailoring ultrasound pulsations, it is now possible to slow down enzyme activity, allowing these neurotransmitters to flourish. This breakthrough has the potential to replace many pharmaceutical interventions that chemically alter brain activity. Furthermore, initial research demonstrates that ultrasound can also modulate acetylcholinergic activity, opening up new possibilities for treating Alzheimer's disease. By targeting specific enzymes involved in acetylcholine metabolism, ultrasound can potentially lead to significant breakthroughs in the treatment of this debilitating condition. The future of neuromodulation lies not only in the discovery of new drugs but also in the replacement and eventual elimination of outdated pharmacological approaches that have broad effects throughout the body. Ultrasound-based therapies offer a more focused and targeted approach, paving the way for a future where therapeutic interventions are tailored to individual diseases, leading to improved outcomes and a disease-free future.

Encinitas 2023 3_10 zina cinker and caroline aguilar 1080p

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-04 | SENSORS & MACHINES
Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
hosted by California Institute for Human Science and the
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
August 18-20, 2023 Encinitas, California

Zina Cinker
Matterworks, Somerville, MA, USA

Caroline Aguilar

Encinitas 2023 3_11 anita goel 1080p

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-04 | SENSORS & MACHINES
NANO MACHINES
Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
hosted by California Institute for Human Science and the
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
August 18-20, 2023 Encinitas, California

Quantum Behavior in Living Matter: Nanomachines that Read/Write DNA
Anita Goel, MD, PhD
Nanobiosym Research Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA

Categories by Discipline
4.0 Physical and Biological Sciences
Primary Topic Area - TSC Taxonomy
[04.02]........Quantum field approaches

Abstract
Twentieth century physics and biology largely developed as separate disciplines. Physics was formulated in the context of nonliving matter. Its mathematical language dealt primarily with closed systems that operated at or near equilibrium; any interaction with the environment was considered, at best, a small perturbation to these closed systems. In contrast, living systems are fundamentally open and continuously exchange matter, energy, and information with their environment. Despite the advent of thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, and quantum mechanics, physics had not yet developed adequate mathematical and conceptual tools to predict the behavior of nonequilibrium systems that are strongly coupled to their environment. Nanotechnology provides the practical tools and conceptual platform to bring the seemingly divergent worlds of physics and biomedicine under a common roof. Biological information is replicated, transcribed, or other-wise processed by nanoscale biomotors or molecular engines that convert chemical energy stored in nucleotides into mechanical work. The dynamics of a molecular motor depend not only on the DNA sequence it reads but also on the environment in which it operates—the environment influences the way cells process the information encoded in DNA (Goel 2008, 2010). Our framework (Goel 2002) suggests that the information or number of bits stored in a DNA motor system is much larger than conventionally assumed (Goel 2008), that the DNA, the replicating motor, and its environment constitute a dynamic and complex network with dramatically higher information storage and processing capabilities. The information storage density results, in part, from the motor itself having several internal microscopic states, each representing a decision point in the nanomotor’s trajectory.

Encinitas 2023 3_12 kelvin mcqueen 1080p

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-04 | COMPARING THEORIES OF CONSCIOUSNESS
presented at the Summer Symposium:
Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
hosted by California Institute for Human Science and the
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
August 18-20, 2023 Encinitas, California

Building a quantum superposition of conscious states with integrated information theory
Kelvin J McQueen
Chapman, Orange, CA, USA

Categories by Discipline
1.0 Philosophy
Primary Topic Area - TSC Taxonomy
[04.01]........Quantum physics, collapse and the measurement problem

Abstract
Could there be a quantum superposition of consciousness? The integrated information theory (IIT) of consciousness and its recently developed quantum extension (QIIT) have turned this into a well-defined question. According to IIT, consciousness is a measurable physical quantity given by integrated information (Φ), such that the amount of consciousness in a system corresponds to its amount of Φ. We use the most recent IIT formalism (IIT4.0), to analyze the simplest non-zero Φ system known as a feedback dyad. We then propose a circuit that puts the dyad into a superposition of states which, according to IIT, would correspond to a superposition of conscious states. We refer to this as “Schrödinger's dyad”. We therefore show that either IIT is false or the simple dyad is conscious and can easily be put into a superposition of conscious states. We then identify the simplest possible consciousness-collapse model, which predicts that this superposition is unstable and collapses at a rate proportional to the size of the superposition. Our analysis will enable us to make a number of key observations about the general structure of integrated information theory (IIT2.0, IIT3.0, IIT40, and QIIT) and the general structure of consciousness-causes-collapse models.

Keywords
Consciousness, wavefunction collapse, integrated information, quantum IIT, quantum computers

Encinitas 2023 3_13 nicholas rosseinsky 1080p

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-04 | COMPARING THEORIES OF CONSCIOUSNESS
presented at the Summer Symposium:
Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
hosted by California Institute for Human Science and the
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
August 18-20, 2023 Encinitas, California

A New Scientific Framework for Comparing Theories of Phenomenal Consciousness - and Its Application!
Nicholas M Rosseinsky
Center for Dialogue in Science, San Diego, CA, USA

Categories by Discipline
2.0 Neuroscience
Primary Topic Area - TSC Taxonomy
[02.12]........Quantum brain biology

Abstract
Some versions of Orch-OR claim to be 'scientific theories of subjective conscious experience'. ('Conscious experience' is often referred to in the field as 'phenomenal' or 'P' consciousness.) How can science assess this sort of claim?! To start, I structure the scientific problem of P-consciousness in an innovative way. A novel category of ‘qualia-valued information’ ensues, rigorously embedded in mathematical physics. In turn, this approach leads to a new comparative framework, based on how a given theory performs on two axes. First: can the theory support incremental action of qualia-valued information on standard-physics brain-activity? (If not, there are no scientific experiments - so there's no science of P-consciousness!) Second: how completely does the theory explain translation of brain-dynamics into qualia-valued information? I then apply this two-dimensional framework to compare Orch-OR variants with other prominent theories (IIT, GNWT, PC, and HoT), and a new entrant (‘N-Theory’). The most important insight from this analysis, though, is a call-to-experiment: we must find out quantitatively whether the action of qualia-valued information on standard-physics measures exists in our Universe. Experiments addressing this issue will determine the validity of P-consciousness science as a whole. Whatever the results are, they must lead to one of two, distinct, deep-reality paradigm-shifts for humankind!

Keywords
consciousness, phenomenal consciousness, Orch-OR, IIT, GNWT, hard problem, first-person report, epistemology, scientific method, foundations of physics

Encinitas 2023 3 _14 paul nunez 1080

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-04 | COMPARING THEORIES OF CONSCIOUSNESS
presented at the Summer Symposium:
Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
hosted by California Institute for Human Science and the
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
August 18-20, 2023 Encinitas, California

Toward A Multiscale Neuroscience of Consciousness
Paul L. Nunez
Cognitive Dissonance LLC; Emeritus Professor Tulane University, Encinitas, CA, USA

Categories by Discipline
4.0 Physical and Biological Sciences
Primary Topic Area - TSC Taxonomy
[04.08]........Quantum brain biology

Abstract
I will briefly look at several consciousness-related issues with emphasis on distinguishing scale-based models from theory: A. Experimental Issues. Explicit recognition that the neural correlates of consciousness are scale sensitive; typical in complex systems. B. Model Issues. Each mathematical model usually applies to only a single scale. Examples from halothane anesthesia spectra. EEG functional connectivity (coherence and covariance). Global models based on axon delays. C. C-scale. An imagined special scale at which consciousness originates or is encoded; the single neuron scale is one example. In this view, conscious signatures observed at other scales are mere byproducts of C-scale dynamic behavior. OR D. Multiscale conjecture. The alternate view that consciousness is encoded at multiple scales and depends fundamentally on cross-scale interactions (circular causality). In this view, no special C-scale exists. Consciousness depends critically on functional connectivity– both intra-scale and across (perhaps many) scales. These issues of scale appear to be important for all models or theories of consciousness, including Orch OR and IIT, and electromagnetic.

Keywords
Orch OR, IIT, Electromagnetic, NCC

Encinitas 2023 3_2 deepak chopra 1080p

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-04 | Varieties of Conscious Experience
presented at the Summer Symposium:
Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
hosted by California Institute for Human Science and the
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
August 18-20, 2023 Encinitas, California

Deepak Chopra
Chopra Foundation, NYC, NY, USA
The Solution to the Hard Problem of Consciousness

Encinitas 2023 3_1 jeffery martin 1080p

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-04 | Varieties of Conscious Experience
presented at the Summer Symposium:
Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
hosted by California Institute for Human Science and the
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
August 18-20, 2023 Encinitas, California

Dr. Jeffery A. Martin is a founder of the Transformative Technology space
The Center for the Study of Non-Symbolic Consciousness (CSNSC) is an independent academic research center dedicated to the study of Ongoing or Persistent Non-Symbolic Experience (ONE or PNSE).

Encinitas 2023 2_10 dean radin 1080p

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-04 | Measuring Consciousness Proximity

presented at the Summer Symposium:
Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
hosted by California Institute for Human Science and the
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
August 18-20, 2023 Encinitas, California

Dean Radin
Testing the consciousness-collapse interpretation of quantum mechanics
Institute of Noetic Sciences, Novato, CA, USA

Categories by Discipline
4.0 Physical and Biological Sciences
Primary Topic Area - TSC Taxonomy
[04.14]........Quantum theories of consciousness

Abstract
The consciousness-collapse interpretation (CCI) of quantum mechanics proposes that the quantum wavefunction "collapses" when it interacts with consciousness. While this idea is not considered a central tenet of physics today, most of the founders of quantum mechanics supported the idea, and according to surveys it is still endorsed by about 20% of contemporary physicists. As of 2023, five independent laboratories have conducted some 30 experiments exploring this hypothesis using double-slit optical systems. I am aware of a sixth laboratory as well, but those results are not published yet. Of the published studies, nearly half report statistically significant changes in the interference pattern when people are asked to observe the apparatus with their "mind's eye" from a distance. This is a relatively new experimental paradigm with implications much more radical than quantum entanglement, thus many more independent replications will be required. However, the results observed so far are consistent with a half-century of previously reported mind-matter interaction studies using quantum-indeterminate random sources.

Keywords
consciousness-collapse, quantum mechanics, quantum entanglement

Encinitas 2023 2_11 hartmut neven 1080p 1

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-04 | Keynote Speaker
Quantum Consciousness

presented at the Summer Symposium:
Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
hosted by California Institute for Human Science and the
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
August 18-20, 2023 Encinitas, California

Testing the conjecture that quantum operations are necessary and sufficient to create sentience

Harmut Neven
Google, Mountain View, CA, USA

Categories by Discipline
4.0 Physical and Biological Sciences
Primary Topic Area - TSC Taxonomy
[03.12]........Artificial intelligence and robotics

Abstract
Building on the work of Penrose and Hameroff, we consider the hypothesis that a moment of conscious experience is implemented when a single classical configuration is selected from the multitude of configurations contained in a quantum mechanical superposition state. We investigate which quantum processes, such as creating or collapsing superposition states, might be most suitable to implement the physical correlate of consciousness. We propose a sequence of experiments to test this conjecture. The final capstone experiment involves coherently coupling suitable degrees of freedom in a human brain to a quantum processor, which, if the conjecture is correct, should cause richer experiences which require more bits to describe. Prior to attempting this, we propose to identify which degrees of freedom are suitable to couple to by experimenting with brain organoids.

Keywords
quantum mechanical superposition state, quantum processes, physical correlate of consciousness, degrees of freedom, brain organoids

Encinitas 2023 2_8 marilu chiofalo 1080p

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-04 | SPINTRONICS IN NEUROSCIENCE
presented at the Summer Symposium:
Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
hosted by California Institute for Human Science and the
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
August 18-20, 2023 Encinitas, California

Quantum spin models for numerosity perception
Jorge Yago Malo1, Marco Cicchini2, Simone Ausilio1, Vittoria Stanzione1, Concetta Morrone3, Marilu Chiofalo1
1Department of Physics Enrico Fermi & INFN University of Pisa, Pisa, PI, Italy. 2Institute of Neuroscience CNR-Pisa and PisaVisionLab, Pisa, PI, Italy. 3Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies University of Pisa and PisaVisionLab, Pisa, PI, Italy

Categories by Discipline
4.0 Physical and Biological Sciences
Primary Topic Area - TSC Taxonomy
[04.02]........Quantum field approaches

Abstract
Humans share with animals, both vertebrates and invertebrates, the capacity to sense the number of items in their environment already at birth. The pervasiveness of this skill across the animal kingdom suggests that it should emerge in very simple populations of neurons. Current modelling literature, however, has struggled to provide a simple architecture carrying out this task, with most proposals suggesting the emergence of number sense in multi-layered complex neural networks, and typically requiring supervised learning. Simple accumulator models fail to predict Weber’s Law, a common trait of human and animal numerosity processing challenging to be simulated, stating that the only about 15% error-rate is proportional to the number of perceived items (up to 200), while the items uncertainty is Poissonian. In a quantum and neuro-science truly interdisciplinary research, we found that an open quantum spin network, mapping a neural system and equipped with all-to-all connectivity, can simulate the human sense of number as a global dynamical property. The numerosity is encoded in the spectrum after stimulation with a number of transient signals occurring in a random or orderly temporal sequence. We use the quantum-like paradigm combined with a simulational approach borrowed from the theory and methods of open quantum systems out of equilibrium, to describe information processing in neural systems. Our method is able to capture many of the perceptual characteristics of numerosity in such systems. The frequency components of the magnetization spectra at harmonics of the system’s tunneling frequency increase with the number of stimuli presented. The amplitude decoding of each spectrum, performed with an ideal-observer model, reveals that the system follows Weber’s law. This contrasts with the well-known failure to reproduce Weber’s law with linear system or accumulators models. In the final part of this contribution, we present a first extensive study of the network connectivity conditions under which the counting capability is preserved, and discuss the perspectives of this promising approach to describe other perceptual phenomena connected with time and space.

Keywords
Open quantum systems, Quantum networks, Quantum simulations and tensor networks. (Quantum) information processing, Neural networks, Psychophysics, Sensory perception, Space time and number perception.

Encinitas 2023v 2_9 santosh helekar 1080p

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-04 | Measuring Consciousness Proximity

Discovery of a Peri-Somatic Physical Effect Related to Consciousness and Invention of a Noninvasive Consciousness Measuring “Sentiometer”
Santosh A Helekar
Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, Texas, USA

presented at the Summer Symposium:
Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
hosted by California Institute for Human Science and the
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
August 18-20, 2023 Encinitas, California

Encinitas 2023 2_7 luca turin 1080p

Encinitas 2023 2_6 stuart hameroff 1080p

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-09-03 | Astrobiology and Astro Consciousness
presented at the Summer Symposium:
Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
hosted by California Institute for Human Science and the
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
August 18-20, 2023 Encinitas, California

The ‘quantum pleasure principle’ – How ‘objective reduction’ (OR) could have sparked the origin and evolution of life
Stuart Hameroff, MD
The University of Arizona, Anesthesiology, Psychology, Tucson, Arizona, USA. Research Faculty, California Institute for Human Science,, Encinitas, California, USA

Categories by Discipline
4.0 Physical and Biological Sciences
Primary Topic Area - TSC Taxonomy
[04.14]........Quantum theories of consciousness

Abstract
Which came first, life or consciousness? Most say life, but Penrose ‘objective reduction’ (‘OR’), a proposed cause for (proto-)conscious moments due to self-collapse of the quantum wavefunction, and the only specific scientific mechanism for the ‘hard problem’ of consciousness yet proposed, would have been present in the early universe prior to life. Quantum states in biology are supported by organic ‘aromatic ring’ electron cloud molecules which can have quantum superposition states capable of reaching OR threshold (by E=h/t). Aromatic rings in amphipathic molecules (non-polar aromatic ring on one end, polar tail on the other) were apparently present in ‘primordial soups’ from which life on earth emerged. Amphipathics form ‘micelles’ (Oparin, Haldane) around confluences of aromatic rings in which quantum coherent superposition leading to OR ‘proto-conscious’ events could have occurred. Occasionally at least, such events would entail pleasureable qualia which could then serve as feedback for self-organization and purposeful behavior to optimize pleasure, and avoid displeasure. Life began, developed and evolved, e.g. to microtubules which can orchestrate OR events for full, rich consciousness. (As a theory of consciousness, Penrose-Hameroff Orchestrated OR, ‘Orch OR’, in brain microtubules has more explanatory power, connection to biology and supportive evidence than other theories combined. Could OR events in aromatic molecules elsewhere in the universe, e.g. polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in interstellar dust, have also spawned life and driven its evolution?

Showcase Talk - Lord _Christopher - Object of Study 2023

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-08-24 | ...

Corneille,Jessica Corneille _Mystical Nondual experiences

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-08-23 | ...

Nowakowski Marcin Towards Self aware AI

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-08-19 | ...

Remler M Reification Final

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-08-18 | Short Talk

Waterman Laurel Why the Resistance to Reconceptualizing Consciousness

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-08-18 | ...

Shakeri, Sohail Consciousness as an Experience of the Heart in Rumis Poetry

The Science of Consciousness TSC Conferences 2023-08-18 | ...