Brain As Matter-Wave

The Brain As A Matter-Wave System

Memory, Brain Drugs, Brain States, Matter-Wave Resonance's And More

Consciousness As An Increase In Wave Amplitudes

Neurons As Both Waves And Particles

By: John K. Harms

Email: physics5@earthlink.net

And: jkharms@earthlink.net

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Abstract:

This text proposes, in the tradition of Louis de Broglie, that the brain is a matter-wave system. Thoughts are essentially resonance's of matter-waves. Long-term potentiation and long-term depression can both be describable in terms of waves and, perhaps, govern the process by which the brain evolves over time. Consciousness may be the matching of wave-phases of the brain's matter-wave with environmental resonance's. What we call attention may be the selective process of the highest wave amplitudes in the brain. It is proposed that different brain-states can be better understood in-terms of waves than by the present Newtonian "particle" description now given to us by neuroscientists. Hence, this model has a significant amount of power in describing observations not presently understood by the "particle" picture. Sleep, brain drugs, mental illness, fevers as well as Kerlian photography, color, auras and mental telepathy are discussed in-terms of the matter-wave model of the brain. The neurons that compose the brain are shown to be wave systems and at the synaptic gap--particle-like impulses. So, if this is the case, the brain itself also may be a wavelike quantum mechanical system. The continuing growth patterns of the brain are proposed as being guided by the brain's internal frequencies. The probable consequences of this matter-wave model of the brain are discussed.

Key Words: Louis de Broglie, Matter-Waves, Resonance, Dampening, Long-Term Potentiation (LTP), Long-Term Depression (LTD), Sleep, Drugs, Mental Illness, Color, Kerlian Photography, Auras, Mental Telepathy, Consciousness, Neuron Cells, Brain Growth Patterns

Introduction

That matter is a wave was first proposed in a descriptive mathematical way by the French physicist Louis de Broglie. This observation was confirmed experimentally several years later when electrons were found to behave precisely like photons of radiation--electrons demonstrated interference patterns like photons of light. The physicist Erwin Schrodinger used this confirmation as the basis for his now famous wave equation, the foundations of quantum mechanics. In the quantum mechanical picture, all matter and radiation are both particles and waves and neither of these description is superior to the other i.e., they both are equally valid descriptions. In describing experiments, physicists often utilize the description (involving either particles or waves) that is the most useful.

This text proposes that the brain is a matter-wave system. For the most part, neuroscientists in the past have "unconsciously" adopted the (Newtonian) particle approach to the brain. In this view, the brain is a "clump" of atoms acted on by chemicals (even more atoms) and this is primarily the picture that we are given by neuroscientists. The author has never seen a "wave" description of the brain provided by neuroscience, although according to quantum mechanics, there should be one. Indeed, as mentioned above, the "wave" view should be equally as valid as the conventional Newtonian particle picture.

This text offers an alternative to the "reductionist" approach to the brain; the taking apart of the brain bit by bit to discover the specific functioning of each piece. The matter-wave model is a more "system-wide" approach (which is essentially what neuroscience has revealed about the brain!) where small resonances or dampenings can have a minute effect upon the bigger overall picture. It is rather like an ocean wave, where one can see how very small ripple-like waves are integrated into the much larger long-wave disturbances i.e., the small has a cumulative effect upon the very large.

As we will see in this text, the "wave" picture of the brain offers a quite powerful explanatory picture describing particular phenomenon that the particle picture cannot match. Perhaps, the up to now baffling mystery of consciousness may be better explained by the wave approach. As physicists have discovered in certain situations concerning their own models, the wave approach is often the more useful description of observations. As we will discover in this text, the brain may be such a situation.

The Brain As A Matter Wave-System

What primarily led the author to conclude that a superior approach to understanding the brain might be as a matter wave system, is that many of the processes now taking place within the brain can be describable in terms of waves. For example, the memory processes of long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) can be understood in terms of as the interactions of waves with each other.

LTP is the brain process where two neuronal synapses "increase" the sensitivity of the neural connection based upon stimulation and LTD can be understood as "reducing" the sensitivity of the neural connection. LTP increases the likelihood of new neural pathways nearby and LTD decreases this possibility. Both processes are reversible. Either brain process can be explained also in terms of waves, where LTP might be viewed as the interaction of two synaptic connection "waves" that are in-resonance and, hence, positively reinforcing each other.

Thus, two waves that are inphase do positively reinforce each other and resonate creating an increased probability of a third connection--resonance is a type of synergistic effect. On the other hand, LTD , in the wave picture, can be pictured as an overall dampening of two neural connections with each other. This might take place when two neuronal waves are somewhat (or even precisely) out-of-phase with each other. As a general rule, this type of destructive interference interaction discourages new connections from forming.

Therefore, it can be understood that the brain is essentially a resonance system, that when in-resonance new pathways are encouraged and when dampened such new connections are discouraged. Brain processes then are resonance's who's job it is to create new networks of neurons. A matrix of a particular thought pathway is a resonance throughout the various regions of the brain. Hence, thoughts are resonance's that create repercussions across the neural network. Thoughts are a sequence of wavelike disturbances that travel back and forth across the brain causing resonance's throughout.

Resonance And Consciousness

The brain is, thus, not pictured as a series of neural connections, but rather as a matter wave "system" that resonates in particular regions and dampens in others. What we call consciousness and memory may be pictured as the collective resonance's and dampening of the entire brain-system.

Resonance's are also messages sent from the senses i.e., visual, hearing, touch, taste and smell, translated by the sense organs into wavelike signals (more resonance's) that bring particular regions of the brain into resonance. These regions of resonance may be different in different brains. Perhaps, it is the case that shortly after birth that whatever region that becomes resonant when, for example, the visual signals are sent by the developing eyes, becomes the region that becomes suited (and developed) for that unique function. Hence, the visual system is assigned and becomes developed by whatever signals do resonate with the signals sent from the eyes shortly after birth. Again, this may be in different regions in different brains.

The author has noticed that in a series of experiments performed by a Sir Peter Guy Manners of U. K. that very small particles of matter could be brought into a resonance mode with very high frequency sound waves. These particles would then form patterns that depended largely upon the frequency of the sound waves. In general, the higher the frequency of the sound, the greater the complexity of the patterns or minute loops observed. This is noteworthy because the patterns formed to the author appeared to be identical to a cross section of the brain. Also surprising, was the fact that the overall shape of the larger pattern formed was even hemispherical as is the brain (Braden, 1996).

The author speculates, therefore, that it may be the resonances within the brain that might be responsible for the way that the brain appears. While this remains admittedly only the author's speculation at best, it is the first indication that a connection may exist between the frequencies of the waves taking place in the brain and its growth patterns. The author has not heard of any previous explanation or theory as to why the brain appears as it does. So, this observation may add weight to the notion proposed here that the brain could be a matter wave system.

This phenomenon known as resonance is similar somewhat to a loud tone produced by a musical instrument that brings a wine glass or tuning fork into resonance from across the room. In this case, however, we are speaking about the vibrations of a "matter wave" as a distinct region of the brain being brought into resonance by our sense organs (other matter waves). Neuronal connections, thus, are not strings of matter composed of particle-like atoms, but electric wave potentials that vibrate and come into resonance when excited.

In the visual system, as we travel through space, the resonance's from the outside world are constantly changing as we move. These become changes in resonance's within the brain. These may become optical "tubes" if we are in linear motion. See the "Motion" text for further details about linear motion.

Colors can also be viewed as brain regions in resonance. A red (or any other color) object cancels-out all colors except red and this red brings about a resonance in a particular region of the visual system. See the "Color" text for further details at the link provided below. Certain psychedelic drugs can bring about resonance's in the brain regions responsible for color where none exists in the environment. More about drug effects subsequently.

Consciousness and perception may also be a resonance of the brain matter-wave system; an effect of the brain-system interfacing with the outside world. The environment through the senses sets the matter-wave system of the brain via LTP into resonance. One's own thoughts are internally generated resonance's. A superior way to picture this process might be that LPD neuron waves are waves that are somewhat held in-place, whilst LTP neuron waves are waves that are in resonance.

The degree of consciousness that one has depends upon the collective degree of the brain wave-system being inphase with the environment. The more interactive and resonant the brain-system is with the environment through the senses, the greater is the degree of consciousness. Or stated differently, individuals with the greatest alignment to (and resonance with) the physical world, have the greatest consciousness of it. It is notable that Darwinian evolution tends to select organisms that best match (or fit) their environments. Hence, consciousness (as defined here) may be the end result of evolution by natural selection.

The selective nature of consciousness sometimes called "attention" may be a mechanism within the brain that may select the wave resonance's only with the highest degree of amplitudes. So, what we call attention may be a passive device within the brain that selects brain waves of only the highest amplitudes. If there are many such high amplitudes all at once, the environment may become quite confusing and chaotic to the brain.

Higher dimensional worlds (which do exist in the physical world, but are more remote from us) may be accessed via different resonance alignments. These states may be induced by drugs, meditative states or certain forms of mental illness. More about this in the next section.

When one loses consciousness, for example, when one sleeps, the brain-system may become out-of-phase with the environmental resonance's. The brain apparently must become out-of-phase with the environment from time to time--one must sleep. The process of reawakening is the brain again quickly harmonizing and readapting itself to new environmental conditions and resonance's. Sometimes, this realignment with the environmental waves is somewhat slow and a drug taken internally can sharpen and quicken the phase alignment process. Coffee (containing the drug Caffeine) is often the drug of choice for this transition.

It is notable that heat (or a high fever) may cause a person to experience delirium, perhaps, because an increase in heat is essentially a generalized increase in the vibrations of matter-waves. Thus, the excess heating of the brain may cause changes in resonance's frequencies or create its own where none previously existed. Hence, attention is thrown into chaos because many resonance's all at once may have high amplitudes. The precise regulation of the temperature of the brain is, therefore, vital to the wave system's proper functioning. A dramatic change in temperature changes everything.

Other Drugs And The Brain

Certain "brain" drugs (some of them only available on the street) can cause a shift of phase in particular regions of brain resonance's. Drugs may shift the brain slightly out-of-phase with environmental wave signals. In the case of some psychiatric drugs, an individual who is "normally" out-of-phase with environmental waves can be shifted more inphase with the environment. Hence, it must be the case that drugs that largely act on the brain, can temporally and artificially shift the matter-wave resonance's (or phase) within the brain-system to either match or mismatch environmental resonance's.

Mental Illness

Mental illness is, therefore, a normal tendency for some individuals to have a brain that on the whole is slightly out-of-phase with environmental inputs. This can be seen as generalized confusion, misinterpretations, delusions, hallucinations or paranoia. Particular regions of the brain may have resonance's that are out-of-phase with environmental inputs.

It is sometimes the case that an individual's illness can grant particular brain regions a greater degree of being inphase, than do other "normal" people. Hence, these persons may command greater insights in certain areas, whilst being very deficient in still others. It can be understood in the case of manic-depressive illness (or bipolar disorder), that these shifts of phase can also be of a cyclical nature. The ebb and flow of wave cycles.

In bipolar disorder, a generalized wave amplitude increase inphase (of all waves) will make one energetic and insightful for a time resonating intensively with environmental inputs. A lack of sleep may eventually send the person on a rapid spiral downward (without any medications), when chaotic out-of-focus, out-of-phase waves are introduced into the mix that may disrupt the resonance's. So, the inphase harmonics may be destroyed by unwanted out-of-phase wavelengths. A "crash and burn" may then follow as the high amplitude resonance's turn utterly chaotic and the person falls head first into the "black dog" of depression. A highly depressed person may have no wave amplitudes worth selecting from!

Or, viewed somewhat differently, this might be pictured essentially in terms of a signal to noise ratio. Thus, the overall signal to noise ratio of the brain begins leaning toward the more chaotic noise; this noise may lead to the eventual nosedive. Hence, the mental wellness of a person might be measured in general by the degree of background noise that a person's brain is producing, whilst the overall signals are dampened.

The newer medications may work by dampening the subsequent chaotic out-of-phase waves (and noise), but leaving essentially intact the hypomanic high amplitude state. So, these medications may simply eliminate the out-of-phase waves. The older medications tended to dampen all the waves too much leaving a person with an overall flat mood or affect. So, the older medications tended to dampen both signal and noise!

Electro-convulsive therapy treatments (ECT or shock treatments) in the severely depressed might be viewed as a way to realign (by sending very powerful and often destructive resonance's in the form of electricity) the resonance structures to match more closely the environmental inputs. Thus, electroshock may alter the phase, perhaps through destroying neuronal wave connections, of the matter-wave brain.

Neuron Cells As Wave Systems

It is notable that sensory (as well as all other) neuronal connections to and from the brain involve electricity. In living systems, electric current is generated by the movement of either positive ions (such as Na+, K+ and Ca^2+) or negative ions (such as Cl - ), all of which are common in both cytoplasm and extracelluar fluid (Levine & Miller, 1991).

Similar to a battery, the nerve cells develop an electrical potential or voltage. The neurons develop voltages because specialized proteins in their plasma membranes use energy from ATP (cell energy acquired from food) to pump sodium ions out of the cell as they pump potassium ions into the cell. The action of this protein which is called the "sodium-potassium pump", essentially raises the concentration of sodium ions outside the cell to ten times the concentration of sodium ions inside (Levine & Miller, 1991).

The nerve cells are not absolutely impermeable -- the cells tend to leak sodium ions and potassium ions. The end result of this is that the potassium becomes more concentrated inside the cell than outside. So, the interior of the cell becomes negatively charged with respect to its immediate surroundings. This is known as the cells "resting potential". As previously mentioned, the resting potential is calibrated by the environment.

The nerve cells have channels on their membranes that are gated--they open and close like gates in a fence. Electrically controlled channels are pores that open and close when the electrical potential across the cell membrane changes. Action potentials are brief changes in the membrane's electrical potential that sweep along the axon. Although action potentials are also called nerve impulses, they are not pulses of electricity that travel through the axon; they are disturbances in the resting potential that move along the membrane like ripples passing along the surface of a quiet stream (Levine & Miller, 1991). Essentially, this is because the action potentials are waves!!

So, once started, the action potential (like a wave) is self propagating, it will travel down the axon with no further input of energy from the cell. The action potential begins when the nerve cell depolarizes to its threshold. As soon as threshold is reached, large numbers of electrically controlled sodium channels spring open, and positively charged sodium ions rush into the cell. When the current flows, potential decreases. After the sodium channels have opened and then closed, their is is brief period of time called the refractory period (Levine & Miller, 1991).

The author could simply go on and on with this "chemical" explanation of nerve cells. The point of importance here is that nerve cells are wave systems!! The cell body is the "medium" for the electrical wave disturbance. Once disturbed by depolarization (a negative current stimulus), there is a fluctuation in the resting electrical potential that travels along the axon medium. This resonance eventually communicates with other nerve cells via the synaptic gaps. Synaptic gaps are how resonances spread information from nerve cell to nerve cell.

The stimulus, thus, amounts to a electrical "kick" in the negative direction (a depolarization potential disturbance) to get the wave "going". Indeed, all waves (and a nerve cell is precisely defined by a wave) need a push or kick for the wave to begin its oscillations. In a nerve cell, this depolarization must necessarily be of an electrical origin!

So, the nerve cell in wave terms goes into a resonant state when it is electrically disturbed. One cell, then, brings all of the others into a kind of resonance. These pathways are resonances. If the entire brain is composed of these wave systems, the brain itself is in essence a wave!

Moreover, the author believes that the growth of all brains to maturity are guided by these ongoing resonance's, which "tell" the brain how to further develop itself.

Synaptic Particle "Impulses"

At a junction between two neurons is the synapse. The synapse is a minutely small gap, the method by which neurons communicate and resonate with each other. In order for resonance to occur, the traveling wave potential must be actualized into a particle impulse that can traverse the gap. This takes place with the use of neurotransmitter chemicals. With mitochrondrian energy nearby, the wave energy of neuron becomes an impulse of neurochemical energy that spans the synaptic gap (Villee et al, 1985).

Thus, with the intention of creating a new depolarization, the transmitter chemical energy has an effect upon the membrane pores of the postsynaptic neuron. This is the process by which one neuron transfers its resonance to the second neuron. However, to accomplish this task the wave energy must become particle (or impulse) energy. So, this transformation of wave into particle and particle into wave goes on and on in the brain. The Brain is, hence, a quantum system of particles and waves.

What's Waving?

One might ask the question; if the brain is a matter-wave, exactly what is waving? The author has a rather different explanation of this based upon his other work. The mystery of what is matter is not explained in conventional physics. However, the author will offer his version:

Matter acts like "photon holes". Matter has gravity--exactly as a photon hole would as described in the two texts concerning "Gravity" text at the links below. It may indeed be the case that space exists as a type of foam, a mix of photon holes and ordinary radiation background. Matter, therefore, may be a very dense region where the photon holes are highly dense--a foam grid-like structure. See the "Space-Grid" text at the link below for further details.

A photon hole is a place where a photon was--a subtraction of energy from background radiation. Matter is, hence, a distortion of space itself, a dense region of photon holes. Matter, therefore, also has strong electromagnetic components. Indeed, one can hardly discuss matter without discussing electromagnetic forces and vice versa.

A matter-wave such as the brain is, therefore, a disturbance of space foam, the dense grid-like structure. When disturbed (which is what a resonance is), a resonance of the matter-wave is, hence, also a resonance in the electromagnetic field--the oscillation of electron waves. This is the fundamental reason that brain-waves can be measured directly through the skull on the skin--as electromagnetic energy. Thus, resonance's of the brain are inherently also electromagnetic in nature. It can be understood that the space surrounding the head is very similar to the matter-wave composing the material brain, although vastly less dense.

The space surrounding the skull, therefore, creates a type of field of energy around the head. The surrounding space is made of the same "substance" as matter is, only it is vastly less dense. This grid-like space can, thus, also be set into resonance when the brain is in-resonance.

Such resonance's outside the head or body can be detected by Kerlian photography and these pictures may directly reflect internal moods and brain-states; different resonance's of the neural pathways. Different thoughts, therefore, which are particular sequences of resonance's in the matter composing the brain, are transmitted directly through the head as vibrations of space itself. See the "GTR" text at the link below for more about the nature of quantum space and matter.

Such space vibrations are often called "auras" and can be viewed with Kerlian photography. If this phenomenon could not be detected by any known means except what some observers claim, the author would consider the topic too subjective for comment--and not sufficiently scientific. However, the fact that there is a methodology for the detection of this phenomenon, indicates to the author that it does indeed deserve an explanation. That is what was attempted here by picturing the brain as a matter-wave.

Mental Telepathy

It appear likely considering this picture of the brain that a wave-resonance of the brain might produce also electromagnetic waves. The vibration of electrons during resonance may produce electromagnetic radiation emitted outward in all directions. This admitted hypothesis, however, is a step somewhat beyond what the author can prove. For example, it is not known at what frequency such radiation would be emitted by the brain and if the brain can receive as well as send messages. Moreover, how might messages or information be encoded by the brain? These are all left as open questions, for the next interested person to further investigate. The author will halt his logical deductions at this point.

Conclusion

The "brain as a matter-wave" proposal has the following probable consequences:

1) Long-term potentiation is equivalent to a resonance.

2) Long-term depression is equivalent to a dampening.

3) Thoughts are sequences of resonance's throughout the various regions of the brain.

4) In early development, resonance's are sent by the senses and "discover" chance identical resonance's within the brain. These, then, become the regions in the brain that are further developed for a particular sense or other function. This is the primary reason (in the author's view) that different brains have evolved differently.

5) Consciousness is the close matching of the brain resonance's with environmental resonance's. Darwinian evolution stresses a similar fit with the environment, although in this case this fit is described in terms of matching resonance's.

6) Attention (as an aspect of consciousness) is a selective process whereby the brain singles-out the peak resonant amplitudes for its own focus. Many peak amplitudes all at once can cause chaos and confusion.

7) Drugs may bring brain resonance's either out-of-phase with the environmental resonance's or in the case of psychiatric medications refocus the phase of the brain to the physical environment.

8) The nerve cells that compose the brain are themselves (and act precisely like) wave systems. If nerve cells are wave systems, so is the brain itself. See above for details.

9) Kerlian photography and auras are resonance's of space outside the physical head or body and thoughts as different resonance's may cause alterations of this phenomenon. This is related also to measurable brain-waves on the outside of the head.

10) Heating-up of the brain (a fever) changes the resonance's of the brain and may cause the experience of delirium.

11) The appearance of the brain may be related to the wave resonances taking place within the brain.

12) The matter-wave brain system might emit electromagnetic waves in all directions--a type of mental telepathy, perhaps.

Acknowledgments

I wish to thank the brain-scientist Gene Johnson for his valuable input and assistance in the brain-science area. The writing of this document could not have been possible without Gene's help. I also wish to thank Greg Leydon for sending me the video series: "Awakening To Zero Point"--some valuable scientific information concerning wave structures in this presentation.

Relevant Links

The Philosophically Based; Wave-Reality: http://www.johnkharms.com/wave-reality.htm

Evolution By Sexual Selection: http://www.johnkharms.com/evolution.htm

Color: http://www.johnkharms.com/color.htm

Quantum Space: http://www.johnkharms.com/space.htm

Quantum Gravity: http://www.johnkharms.com/gravitation.htm

Gravity And Quantum Space: http://www.johnkharms.com/GTR.htm

Time: http://www.johnkharms.com/time.htm

(Linear) Motion: http://www.johnkharms.com/motion.htm

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References

Braden, G., 1996, Awakening To Zero Point, The Video Presentation, Radio Bookstore Press, Bellevue WA

Edelman, G. M., Tononi, G., 2000, A Universe Of Consciousness, Basic Books, New York

Levine, J. S., Miller, K. R., 1991, Biology, D. C. Heath And Co., New York, P. 811 - 815

Villee, C. A., Solomon, E. P., Davis, W. P., 1985, Biology, Saunders College Publishing, New York, P. 875- 881

Reader's Note: Proper References And/Or Acknowledgments To This Text Are Appreciated.