Microtubules are composed of Tubulins which are peanut-shaped dimers with two connected monomers and they undergo several types of conformational changes. Tubulin may have several hydrophobic pockets and occupy more than two states. The two possible states may be viewed as representing one bit of information. If, however, the hydrophobic pocket electron pair is superposed, then protein conformation (if isolated from the external environment) is also superposed and exists in both states simultaneously ('qubit'). A properly configured and isolated array of interactive protein qubits could constitute a quantum computer. Tubulins work like a cellular automata performing that kind of computation. In this way, the walls of the MT could be able to store and process information by using combinations of the two possible states (α and β) of the tubulins. Each tubulin has an electric dipole moment due to an asymmetric charge distribution. The microtubule is thus a lattice of oriented dipoles that can be in random phase, ferroelectric (parallel-aligned) and an intermediate weakly ferroelectric phase. It is natural to consider the electric field of each tubulin as the information transport medium. Therefore, the tubulin dimers would be considered the information unit in the brain and the MT sub-processors of the neuron cells which generate consciousness.
Theoretical models propose that microtubule subunit tubulins undergo coherent excitations, for example, in the gigahertz range by a mechanism suggested by Fröhlich ('pumped phonons'). Experimental evidence for Fröhlich-like coherent excitations in biological systems includes observation of gigahertz-range phonons in proteins (Genberg et al. 1991), sharp-resonant non-thermal effects of microwave irradiation on living cells (Grundler & Keilman 1983), gigahertz-induced activation of microtubule pinocytosis in rat brain (Neubauer et al. 1990) and laser Raman spectroscopy detection of Fröhlich frequency energy in biomolecular systems (Genzel et al. 1983; Vos et al. 1992).
Fröhlich excitations of tubulin subunits within microtubules have been suggested to support computation and information processing (Hameroff & Watt 1982; Rasmussen et al. 1990).
Theoretical models propose that microtubule subunit tubulins undergo coherent excitations, for example, in the gigahertz range by a mechanism suggested by Fröhlich ('pumped phonons'). Experimental evidence for Fröhlich-like coherent excitations in biological systems includes observation of gigahertz-range phonons in proteins (Genberg et al. 1991), sharp-resonant non-thermal effects of microwave irradiation on living cells (Grundler & Keilman 1983), gigahertz-induced activation of microtubule pinocytosis in rat brain (Neubauer et al. 1990) and laser Raman spectroscopy detection of Fröhlich frequency energy in biomolecular systems (Genzel et al. 1983; Vos et al. 1992).
Fröhlich excitations of tubulin subunits within microtubules have been suggested to support computation and information processing (Hameroff & Watt 1982; Rasmussen et al. 1990).