Abstract

The effect of general anaesthetics has been physically linked to the inhibition of the transmission of waves of electrical polarization along microtubules, as a physiological correlate to the effect on consciousness. Evidence for this is provided by the effects of general anaesthetics, where the biophysical mode of action is known. In this work, we consider the nature of wave propagation along quantum waveguides with curvature as a simple physical model for microtubules, which are of similar physical dimensions. We suggest that the geometrical configuration of the cytoskeleton may well play a role in cytoskeletal information processing, and provide further evidence for quantum coherence effects in the cytoarchitecture. Finally, we attempt to formulate some simple experimental tests involving anaesthetics, designed to test the hypothesis that microtubular curvature is involved in information processing at the cytoskeletal level.

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