The Plastic Glial-Synaptic Dynamics within the Neuropil: A Self-Organizing System Composed of Polyelectrolytes in Phase Transition

Lima, Vera Maura Fernandes de; Pereira, Alfredo

doi:10.1155/2016/7192427

Cited by 12 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 114 publications

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“…In the Baars’ GWT model, the receptors are the same neurons that processed the specific signals, but it is not clear how the integration occurs. We assume a common substrate : the brain tissue hydroionic wave (an energy standing wave composed by ions in the gel formed by water interacting with proteins; see Fernandes de Lima & Pereira, 2016). Neurons cannot propagate this kind of wave, because they are separated by the synaptic cleft, where the electrical signal is transduced to the chemical signal.…”

Section: Operative Mechanisms In the Formation Of Conscious Episodesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The dynamical signature of conscious processing: From modality-specific percepts to complex episodes.

Pereira¹,

Foz²,

Rocha³

2017

Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice

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The search for neural correlates of human consciousness in past decades has been based on different assumptions and methods. Some researchers assume that conscious functions are localized in brain circuits, and ultimately pinned down to single neuron selective firing at the millisecond range, while others search for dynamic patterns, as the synchrony of neural potentials or slow waves in brain tissue. We raise and review evidence for the hypothesis that the composition of conscious processes has a dual dynamics: (a) Information processing carried by neuronal spike trains generating modality-specific contents and (b) the formation of complex episodes by dendritic fields synchronized in multiple frequencies and interacting with the astroglial calcium wave. On the basis of this evidence, we hypothesize an explanation for the coordination of the 2 types of processes: Oscillatory frequencies compose a multiplexing mechanism promoting the insertion of specific contents into a global hydroionic standing wave in brain tissue, which feeds back on dendritic fields, in a process that takes around 2 s to form 1 unitary conscious episode. A dynamical signature of conscious processing can be identified by means of a mathematical analysis of how the faster brain rhythms are nested in the slower ones.

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Section: Operative Mechanisms In the Formation Of Conscious Episodesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The dynamical signature of conscious processing: From modality-specific percepts to complex episodes.

Pereira¹,

Foz²,

Rocha³

2017

Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice

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“…We have more experimental evidence that gaps in the gel stops propagation no matter how thin the gap [41]. Also the circling wave experiments clearly show that the inner circle of tissue only rarely shows waves, the solution gap between inner circle and outer ring of tissue acting as a barrier to waves (see the arrangement of circling waves and more discussion in [29] [42]). Taken together the evidence appears to point to a crucial role for the structured dissociated water in the spread of excitation waves in tissue.…”

Section: The Minimum Requirements For the Propagation Of Two Dimensiomentioning

confidence: 87%

Macroscopic Self-Organized Electrochemical Patterns in Excitable Tissue and Irreversible Thermodynamics

Lima¹,

Hanke²

2016

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In this paper we make the assertion that the key to understand the emergent properties of excitable tissue (brain and heart) lies in the application of irreversible thermodynamics. We support this assertion by pointing out where symmetry break, phase transitions both in structure of membranes as well as in the dynamic of interactions between membranes occur in excitable tissue and how they create emergent low dimensional electrochemical patterns. These patterns are expressed as physiological or physiopathological concomitants of the organ or organism behavior. We propose that a set of beliefs about the nature of biological membranes and their interactions are hampering progress in the physiology of excitable tissue. We will argue that while there is no direct evidence to justify the belief that quantum mechanics has anything to do with macroscopic patterns expressed in excitable tissue, there is plenty of evidence in favor of irreversible thermodynamics. Some key predictions have been fulfilled long time ago and they have been ignored by the mainstream literature. Dissipative structures and phase transitions appear to be a better conceptual context to discuss biological self-organization. The central role of time as a global coupling agent is emphasized in the interpretation of the presented results.

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“…The points (a-e) "take care" of the steps (i-iii), while (f-g) relate to (iv) and possibly to a longer two-second duration [67]. Nevertheless (a-g) are irreducible in the sense that without any of the six reported steps above a conscious feeling may not be "created".…”

Section: Consciousness As An Irreducible Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Origin and Evolution of Complex Enough Systems in Biology

Brändas

2017

Quantum Systems in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology

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Recent criticisms of Neo-Darwinism are considered and disputed within the setting of recent advances in chemical physics. A related query, viz., the ontological thesis, that everything is physical, confronts a crucial test on the validity of reductionism as a fundamental approach to science. While traditional 'physicalism' interprets evolution as a sequence of physical accidents governed by the second law of thermodynamics, the concepts of biology concern processes that owe their goal-directedness to the influence of an evolved program. This disagreement is met by unifying basic aspects of chemistry and physics, formulating the Correlated Dissipative Ensemble, CDE, as a characterization of a 'complex enough systems', CES, in biology. The latter entreats dissipative dynamics; non-Hermitian quantum mechanics together with modern quantum statistics thereby establish a precise spatio-temporal order of significance for living systems. The CDE grants a unitary transformation structure that comprises communication protocols of embedded Poisson statistics for molecular recognition and cellular differentiation, providing cell-hierarchies in the organism. The present conception of evolution, founded on communication with a built-in self-referential order, offers a valid argument in favour of Neo-Darwinism, providing an altogether solid response and answer to the criticisms voiced above. Introductory Remarks Reductionism in Natural ScienceA frequent understanding of natural sciences contends that biology reduces to chemistry and chemistry to physics. Even if the traditional analytic interpretation of mathematics as a language or tool to convert knowledge about nature, i.e. a formal science not being incorporated amongst the branches of physical or life sciences, some recent propositions impart that also physics can be reduced to mathematics [1]. Within such views, based on strict reductionnism, see more below, one argues that the present laws of physics are not only commensurate to biology, but also contain the necessary natural laws for expressing all the known biological facts.There are numerous differences of opinion regarding the scheme outlined above, e.g. the impossibility to derive the Coulomb Hamiltonian corresponding to a molecule from first principles and the general problem of quantum chemistry to treat nuclei and electrons on a more or less equivalent basis, see Löwdin [2]. Other arguments concern the concepts of biology as the laws of physics, at present, exclude a fundamental understanding of biological processes governed by an evolved program [3,4].Observation and deliberate experiments instigate rational, deductive theory, formulated in the language of mathematics, with the so accumulated knowledge discussed and contained by the methods of philosophy in general and the concepts of biology in particular. Recognizing the acquired demarcation between the philosophy of science, including biology, and the enactment of reductionism as embodied in the laws of physics, the endwise connections between them ...

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The Plastic Glial-Synaptic Dynamics within the Neuropil: A Self-Organizing System Composed of Polyelectrolytes in Phase Transition

Cited by 12 publications

References 114 publications

The dynamical signature of conscious processing: From modality-specific percepts to complex episodes.

The dynamical signature of conscious processing: From modality-specific percepts to complex episodes.

Macroscopic Self-Organized Electrochemical Patterns in Excitable Tissue and Irreversible Thermodynamics

The Origin and Evolution of Complex Enough Systems in Biology

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