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But the way the microtubules are doing computation as described in this paper is decidedly not based on quantum phenomena, but rather a fairly simple mechanical
by jbotz 5y ago
But the way the microtubules are doing computation as described in this paper is decidedly not based on quantum phenomena, but rather a fairly simple mechanical state machine. It's not at all clear that this type of computation, even if it existed in the the brain, would raise the total processing capacity of the brain significantly. I mean, it could, but I certainly don't see that it "must".
- kian 5y agoEvery synapse is itself a protuberance caused and maintained by microtubules. If the previous estimates of computational power are based on the mere integration of synaptic activity (I'm looking at you, Kurzweil), and as of late we are coming to view the individual synapses as full computational elements in their own rights, then this is essentially adding at least another order of magnitude or two to the equation beyond our modern understanding. This is because every single synapse would itself additionally be placed and supported by a state-machine-based computational system local to it, tethered to every other state-machine-based computational system in the same neuron, including synapses at both the input and output side, and a much larger computational complex of systems within the body of the cell. Computational systems built upon computational systems upon computational systems, all complexed together and communicating at multiple layers of the hierarchy with bi-directional feedback.