The physical basis of information flow in neural matter: a thermocoherent perspective on cognitive dynamics
A radical paper suggests neural info flows via heat-coupled quantum correlations, not just electrical signals.
A new theoretical paper by researcher Onur Pusuluk, published on arXiv, proposes a radical physical framework for how information flows in the brain. Dubbed the 'thermocoherent perspective,' it suggests that cognitive dynamics are not solely driven by classical electrical spikes. Instead, the theory posits that heat flow in neural tissue is reciprocally coupled to a delocalized information flow carried by shared quantum coherence—a phenomenon where particles like electrons or protons are correlated in a way not describable by local variables alone. This 'thermocoherent effect' means information could be a physical resource embedded in the relational structure (like quantum entanglement or discord) of the brain's microscopic components.
The framework identifies specific biological substrates where these 'partially hidden relational resources' might arise and become transiently accessible. These include ion-channel interfaces, hydrogen-bonded proton networks, aromatic π-electron systems, and phosphate-rich molecular motifs. The key argument is that under the right microscopic conditions, electrical, chemical, and thermal transport processes could generate or transduce these quantum-correlated states. Their mutual coupling could then progressively build larger-scale, thermocoherent organization across different spatial and temporal partitions of neural tissue, influencing signaling, relaxation, and cross-scale coordination.
Crucially, the author clarifies this is not a claim of macroscopic quantum cognition (like a brain-sized quantum computer), nor a reduction of thought to abstract information coding. It is presented as a falsifiable, resource-theoretical framework. It aims to bridge the gap between the poorly specified physical basis of information in biology and the observable dynamics of cognition, suggesting that usable correlation resources, hidden from local descriptions, could fundamentally bias how the brain processes information.
- Proposes a 'thermocoherent effect' where heat flow couples to delocalized info flow via quantum coherence (e.g., entanglement, discord).
- Identifies ion channels, proton networks, and π-electron systems as potential substrates for generating these 'hidden relational resources.'
- Offers a falsifiable physical model for neural coordination that is neither macroscopic quantum cognition nor pure classical coding.
Why It Matters
Provides a novel, testable hypothesis for the physical basis of cognition, potentially bridging neuroscience, thermodynamics, and quantum information theory.