A possible connection between the Orch-OR Theory of Consciousness and Compactified Dimensions in String Theory
Keywords:
Classical and quantum physics, Consciousness, Orch-OR theory, String theory, Compactified dimensions, Quantum gravity, Microtubules, Calabi-Yau manifolds.Abstract
The nature of consciousness remains one of the most relevant challenges in science and philosophy. The Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch-OR) theory, proposed by Roger Penrose and Stuart Hameroff, suggests that consciousness arises from quantum processes within neuronal microtubules, influenced by quantum gravity effects. Concurrently, string theory posits the existence of additional compactified dimensions that determine the fundamental properties of particles. This article explores the potential connection between quantum processes in the brain and the compactified dimensions of string theory under the frame of the Orch-OR theory. One of the key aspects discussed is intended to provide connections between the geometric structure of spacetime that might influence the generation of consciousness. We aim to connect concepts from physics and neuroscience, introducing a possible relationship between mind and the fundamental fabric of the universe.
References
Alberts, B., Johnson, A., Lewis, J., Morgan, D., Raff, M., Roberts, K., & Walter, P. (2015). Molecular Biology of the Cell (6th ed.). Garland Science.
Cai, J., Guerreschi, G. G., & Briegel, H. J. (2010). Quantum control and entanglement in a chemical compass. Physical Review Letters, 104(22), 220502.
Candelas, P., Horowitz, G. T., Strominger, A., & Witten, E. (1985). Vacuum configurations for superstrings. Nuclear Physics B, 258(1), 46–74.
Chalmers, D. J. (1995). Facing up to the problem of consciousness. Journal of Consciousness Studies, 2(3), 200–219.
Chalmers, D. J. (1996). The Conscious Mind: In Search of a Fundamental Theory. Oxford University Press.
Chalmers, D. J. (2016). Panpsychism and Panprotopsychism. In G. Brüntrup & L. Jaskolla (Eds.), Panpsychism: Contemporary Perspectives (pp. 19–47). Oxford University Press.
Dine, M. (2007). Supersymmetry and String Theory: Beyond the Standard Model. Cambridge University Press.
Dirac, P. A. M. (1981). The Principles of Quantum Mechanics (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Douglas, M. R. (2003). The statistics of string/M theory vacua. Journal of High Energy Physics, 2003(05), 046.
Fisher, M. P. A. (2015). Quantum cognition: The possibility of processing with nuclear spins in the brain. Annals of Physics, 362, 593–602.
Freeman, W. J., & Vitiello, G. (2006). Nonlinear brain dynamics as macroscopic manifestation of underlying many-body field dynamics. Physics of Life Reviews, 3(2), 93–118.
Gao, S. (2013). Consciousness and quantum theory: A prospective. Mind and Matter, 11(1), 37–68.
Gardiner, J. (2015). Subcellular neuronal quasicrystals: Implications for consciousness. Communicative & Integrative Biology, 8(1), e1000700. DOI: 10.1080/19420889.2014.1000700
Green, M. B., Schwarz, J. H., & Witten, E. (1987). Superstring Theory (Vols. 1 & 2). Cambridge University Press.
Hagan, S., Hameroff, S. R., & Tuszyński, J. A. (2002). Quantum computation in brain microtubules: Decoherence and biological feasibility. Physical Review E, 65(6), 061901.
Hameroff, S. R. (1998). Quantum computation in brain microtubules? The Penrose-Hameroff "Orch OR" model of consciousness. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, 356(1743), 1869–1896.
Hameroff, S., & Penrose, R. (1996). Orchestrated reduction of quantum coherence in brain microtubules: A model for consciousness. Mathematics and Computers in Simulation, 40(3-4), 453–480.
Hameroff, S., & Penrose, R. (2014). Consciousness in the universe: A review of the 'Orch OR' theory. Physics of Life Reviews, 11(1), 39–78.
Ibáñez, L. E., & Uranga, A. M. (2012). String Theory and Particle Physics: An Introduction to String Phenomenology. Cambridge University Press.
Jibu, M., & Yasue, K. (1995). Quantum Brain Dynamics and Consciousness: An Introduction. John Benjamins Publishing.
Jibu, M.,Yasue, K. & Hagan, S. (1997). Evanscent (tunneling) photon and cellular ‘vision’. BioSystems, 42, 65- 73
Kachru, S., Kallosh, R., Linde, A., & Trivedi, S. P. (2003). de Sitter vacua in string theory. Physical Review D, 68(4), 046005.
Lambert, N., Chen, Y. N., Cheng, Y. C., Li, C. M., Chen, G. Y., & Nori, F. (2013). Quantum biology. Nature Physics, 9(1), 10–18.
Marais, A., Adams, B., Ringsmuth, A. K., Ferretti, M., Gruber, J. M., Hendrikx, R., ... & Scholz, M. (2018). The future of quantum biology. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 15(148), 20180640.
Mureika, J. R. (2007). Implications for cognitive quantum computation and decoherence limits in the presence of large extra dimensions. International Journal of Theoretical Physics, 46(1), 133–142. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10773-006-9221-1
Penrose, R. (1989). The Emperor's New Mind: Concerning Computers, Minds and The Laws of Physics. Oxford University Press.
Penrose, R. (1994). Shadows of the Mind: A Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness. Oxford University Press.
Penrose, R. (1996). On gravity's role in quantum state reduction. General Relativity and Gravitation, 28(5), 581–600.
Penrose, R. (2000). The Large, the Small and the Human Mind. Cambridge University Press.
Penrose, R. (2016). Fashion, Faith, and Fantasy in the New Physics of the Universe. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Polchinski, J. (1998). String Theory (Vols. 1 & 2). Cambridge University Press.
Reimers, J. R., McKemmish, L. K., McKenzie, R. H., Mark, A. E., & Hush, N. S. (2009). Weak, strong, and coherent regimes of Frohlich condensation and their applications to terahertz medicine and quantum consciousness. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(11), 4219–4224.
Romero-Isart, O., Pflanzer, A. C., Blaser, F., Kaltenbaek, R., Kiesel, N., Aspelmeyer, M., & Cirac, J. I. (2010). Large quantum superpositions and interference of massive nanometer-sized objects. Physical Review Letters, 107(2), 020405.
Rovelli, C. (2004). Quantum Gravity. Cambridge University Press.
Seager, W. (1995). Consciousness, information, and panpsychism. Journal of Consciousness Studies, 2(3), 272–288.
Searle, J. R. (1992). The Rediscovery of the Mind. MIT Press.
Smolin, L. (2006). The Trouble with Physics: The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Stapp, H. P. (1993). Mind, Matter, and Quantum Mechanics. Springer.
Strawson, G. (2006). Realistic monism: Why physicalism entails panpsychism. Journal of Consciousness Studies, 13(10-11), 3–31
Susskind, L. (2003). The anthropic landscape of string theory. In Universe or Multiverse? (pp. 247–266). Cambridge University Press.
Tegmark, M. (2000). Importance of quantum decoherence in brain processes. Physical Review E, 61(4), 4194–4206.
Vaas, R. (2001). The dual aspect of information and its role in the synthesis of mind and matter. Mind and Matter, 2(1), 67–93.
Verlinde, E. (2011). On the origin of gravity and the laws of Newton. Journal of High Energy Physics, 2011(4), 29.
Woit, P. (2006). Not Even Wrong: The Failure of String Theory and the Search for Unity in Physical Law. Basic Books.
Yau, S. T. (2010). Calabi-Yau Manifolds: A Bestiary for Physicists. Oxford University Press.
Zwiebach, B. (2009). A First Course in String Theory (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 José Luis Díaz Palencia

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.