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Posner molecules
Also known as: Posner molecule hypothesis
Facts (15)
Sources
Quantum Models of Consciousness from a Quantum Information ... arxiv.org Dec 20, 2024 8 facts
measurementNumerical results from the authors' toy model demonstrate that the tetrahedral geometry of phosphate in Posner molecules better preserves coherence and maintains entanglement.
referenceAdams et al. published 'Entanglement and coherence in pure and doped posner molecules' as an arXiv preprint in 2023, analyzing the quantum properties of Posner molecules.
claimThe authors of 'Quantum Models of Consciousness from a Quantum Information...' present simulation results based on a toy model focusing on geometrical clusters that preserve entanglement, specifically the tetrahedral geometry characteristic of phosphate in Posner molecules.
claimPosner molecules function as qutrits due to their three-fold symmetry, with pseudospin states arising from the collective nuclear spins of phosphorus atoms.
referenceTheoretical studies model Posner molecules using a Hamiltonian framework that incorporates environmental noise and uses concurrence to analyze entanglement within the spin system.
claimWhen two Posner molecules attempt to bind, their pseudospin states become entangled, regardless of whether the binding process is successful.
referencePlayer and Hore published 'Posner qubits: spin dynamics of entangled ca9 (po4) 6 molecules and their role in neural processing' in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface in 2018, exploring the potential role of Posner molecules in neural processing.
referenceJ. S. Straub authored the dissertation 'The Quantum Brain: Explorations and Adventures With Posner Molecules' at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2023.
Quantum Approaches to Consciousness plato.stanford.edu Nov 30, 2004 4 facts
measurementPosner molecules (calcium phosphate) exhibit extreme decoherence times in the range of hours or even days, allowing them to maintain coherent states.
procedureReplacing calcium with different lithium isotopes with different nuclear spins in Posner molecules alters decoherence times and affects postsynaptic activity, which serves as an empirical test for Fisher's hypothesis.
claimFisher (2015, 2017) proposed that Posner molecules, specifically calcium phosphate (Ca9(PO4)6), act as qubits in the brain where nuclear spins of phosphate ions protect coherent states against fast decoherence.
claimFisher (2015, 2017) hypothesized that if Posner molecules are transported into presynaptic glutamatergic neurons, they stimulate glutamate release and amplify postsynaptic activity, potentially enhancing activity over multiple neurons via nonlocal quantum correlations.
Quantum Approaches to Consciousness plato.stanford.edu Nov 30, 2004 3 facts
claimPosner molecules, when transported into presynaptic glutamatergic neurons, stimulate further glutamate release and amplify postsynaptic activity, potentially enhancing activity over multiple neurons through nonlocal quantum correlations.
claimThe physics of the mechanism involving Posner molecules in the brain has been studied by Yunger Halpern and Crosson (2019) and by Adams and Petruccione (2020).
procedureAn empirical test for the Posner molecule hypothesis involves modifying the phosphorus spin dynamics within the Posner molecules.