Fields or firings? Comparing the spike code and the electromagnetic field hypothesis

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.

Can ephapticity contribute to the brain complexity?

“…The discoveries indicate that ephaptic interactions could be crucial in fine-tuning the complexities of the neural network, providing valuable perspectives on intricate dynamics across multiple levels. Our findings are in harmony with recent empirical research [26,[49][50][51][52].…”

“…It is interesting to emphasize that neuronal activity under the influence of ephaptic coupling transmitted less information and exhibited greater variability and complexity. In another study, Hunt et al provided convincing evidence that oscillating electromagnetic (EM) fields play a pivotal role in steering and unifying conscious cognition [26]. Their study suggests that EM fields are not just by-products of brain functions but that they trigger various crucial functions.…”

“…There is a possibility that the brain's local and global electromagnetic fields may actually serve as a central locus of consciousness [26].…”

The hidden structure of consciousness

“…The complexity of experience is usually underestimated by seeking it outside of experience. It is generally assumed that, for consciousness to arise, particularly complex processes occur within or outside the classical canons of neuronal architecture (Tononi and Edelman, 1998;Sarasso et al, 2021;Koculak and Wierzchoń, 2022;MacIver, 2022;Hunt and Jones, 2023), or even physics (Hameroff and Penrose, 2014;Zhi and Xiu, 2023), at the non-conscious level. In contrast, little is said about the complexity of a conscious image that we experience, except for the insights provided by the phenomenological approach (Kanizsa, 1979;Gallagher and Zahavi, 2008;Smith, 2018).…”

The necessary and sufficient mechanism of consciousness in a layered mind

“…It associates consciousness with quantum mechanical processes. The Field Theories of Consciousness, which compare uncertain particle-like and wave-like phenomena as the “neuron–wave duality” (John, 2001 ), propose that the widespread electromagnetic (EM) fields in brains could be the physical correlates of consciousness (Hunt and Jones, 2023 ).…”