A Transmissive Theory of Brain Function Implications for Health, Disease, and Consciousness

" The productive model of brain function, which has been dominant in the field for centuries, cannot easily accommodate some higher-order neural processes associated with consciousness and other neuropsychological phenomena. However, in recent years, it has become increasingly evident that the brain is highly receptive to and readily emits electromagnetic (EM) fields and light. Indeed, brain tissues can generate endogenous, complex EM fields and ultraweak photon emissions (UPEs) within the visible and near-visible EM spectra. EM-based neural mechanisms, such as ephaptic coupling and non-visual optical brain signaling, expand canonical neural signaling modalities and are beginning to disrupt conventional models of brain function. Here, we present an evidence-based argument for the existence of brain processes that are caused by the transmission of extracerebral, EM signals and recommend experimental strategies with which to test the hypothesis." {Credits 1}

" In the late 19th century, William James described the productive model as a consensus position among psychologists and physiologists alike, despite the existence of alternative models of brain function with similar explanatory power [15]. He proposed a transmissive model of brain function, which positioned the brain as a system that sieves or filters rather than produces cognition. James drew on the analogy of the prism to explain how the brain might filter consciousness: a glass prism does not create a spectrum of colour from white light—it passively filters light, splitting the signal into an array of waves that exist independent of the prism [15]." {Credits 1}

" A transmissive model of brain function would also provide a scientific framework with which to explain phenomena that were—and still are—reasonably marginalized by the universal adoption of a productive model of brain function. These would include widely-reported psychological and social phenomena [15,17], including premonitions [18], the experience of sharing thoughts with others [19], and historical cases of zeitgeists [20]. Interestingly, there is no reason to suggest a system cannot be both productive and transmissive in part; therefore, it may be possible to amend our current model of brain function instead of replacing it with a radical alternative." {Credits 1}

" As we will demonstrate, there is considerable evidence indicating that brains receive, filter, process, and emit EM and optical signals [16]. Therefore, dozens of candidate mechanisms exist with the potential to order brain activity by transmission of information to and from the brain." {Credits 1}

" EM and optical signals are well-suited as messengers for transmissive communication. Indeed, both can pass through the skull and interact with brain tissues via known mechanisms while maintaining information fidelity across many scales of time and space [25,26]." {Credits 1}

" It was recently proposed that brain-derived light emissions could serve as information carriers for optical neurotransmission [85]. As originally predicted several decades ago [86], evidence is now indicating that axons may conduct and guide light like fiber optic cables [85], potentially increasing the speed and information density of neural communication by many orders of magnitude. Because information can be encoded within the direction, amplitude, frequency, and rotational parameters of photons [87,88], the possible existence of a complex optical neural network superimposed upon the canonical signaling pathways is an exciting new frontier for neuroscience. Since white light can travel through the skull [26], UPEs may also provide a mechanism for transmissive, brain-to-brain communication." {Credits 1}

" If the brain does use light as a signal for communication, it should display photoreceptive properties independent of the visual pathway. Remarkably, within the darkened environment of the skull, there are many brain regions that respond to light within the visible and near-visible EM spectra. The cerebral cortices, hypothalamic nuclei, the striatum, the pineal organ, and other regions express photoreceptors, including non-visual opsins, such as Opsin3 or encephalopsin [89,90]." {Credits 1}

" In addition to EM fields affecting brain activity, there is considerable empirical evidence that neurons can be activated or deactivated by non-visual stimulation with artificial light sources." {Credits 1}

" Interestingly, brain activity and the Earth’s EM field share several properties, including operating frequencies. Due to the consistent frequency of global lightning strikes that occur between the ionosphere and the Earth’s surface every second (~40 Hz) [133], the geomagnetic field displays an intrinsic oscillation with a frequency mode of approximately 7.83 Hz [134]. This resonant frequency or “Schumann resonance”, originally described by W.O. Schumann, is also associated with harmonic frequencies of approximately 14, 20, 26, and 33 Hz [134]. Incidentally, it is the unique pairing of 7 Hz “theta” activity and 40 Hz “gamma” activity within the hippocampal bodies that allow the brain to encode and store memories associated with conscious experience [135]. Since the discovery of Schumann resonance, several independent investigators have observed marked similarities between electrophysiological recordings of brain activity and simultaneous fluctuations of geomagnetic activity [136]. Building on the seminal findings of König and colleagues, recent investigators have confirmed that EEG oscillations can become coupled with geomagnetic fluctuations. Specifically, brain oscillations within the theta (4–7 Hz) and alpha (8–13 Hz) EEG bands can become synchronized with the Earth’s EM field [137]. Saroka and colleagues [138] were the first to demonstrate real-time coherence between Schumann resonance and the frequency spectra of EEG rhythms across hundreds of independent human brains. Confirming the EM–brain interaction, Kirschvink’s team recently described a series of experiments that demonstrate a significant, orientation-dependent desynchronization of alpha-band rhythms (8–13 Hz) associated with the static magnetic field of the Earth [137]. Interestingly, shielding the brain from EM fields with copper material can also selectively attenuate alpha rhythms [139]. It may be relevant that quantitative models of the brain’s intrinsic resonance frequency and material properties predict optimal receptivity to frequencies between 7 Hz and 10 Hz [140,141]." {Credits 1}

" To our knowledge, very few authors have explicitly discussed the possibility of transmissive brain function within recent decades [152,153,154] and the model has never been formally tested. Here, we have cited several lines of experimental evidence that indirectly support an EM-based mechanism for transmissive brain function. The data indicate (i) that brains emit EM fields and light, (ii) that similarly intense EM and optical stimuli can activate neural tissues, (iii) that these stimuli can originate from environmental sources, and (iv) that some of these activations are explained by material-like properties that are not contingent upon productive mechanisms of cells." {Credits 1}

{Credits 1} 🎪 Rouleau, N.; Cimino, N. A Transmissive Theory of Brain Function: Implications for Health, Disease, and Consciousness. NeuroSci 2022, 3, 440-456. https://doi.org/10.3390/neurosci3030032. © 2022 The Authors. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License..