The cell membrane: Is it a bridge from psychiatry to quantum consciousness?

Abstract

Many current mainstream neuropsychiatric models show inconsistencies, equivocal evidence and failure to explain neuropsychiatric illness. Completely new approaches could help greatly to improve the current situation. A very promising pathway seems to be quantum models of mind, brain, and consciousness; however, an open question is how to link them to the psychiatric world. Cytoskeletal proteins have been credibly proposed as a starting point, but the cell membrane should be taken into account as well. In fact, G-protein dynamics and membrane fatty acid profiles are deeply involved in classical mechanisms of psychiatric illness, and additionally they may play a much different though important role within quantum models of mind, brain, and consciousness. Indeed, G-protein dynamics and membrane fatty acid profiles may represent a substantial bridge between the psychiatric world and quantum theories. Might the nexus of cell membrane investigations therefore lead to a diagnostic tool able to identify psychopathology in a way also comprehensible in terms of a patient's altered conscious state? Toward the end of answering this question, brain cell membranes should be studied, but some experimental clues suggest that platelet membranes may ultimately provide an alternative practical assay with the virtues of low cost and ease of accessibility. In any case, cell membranes (i.e. G-protein dynamics and/or fatty acid profiles) show much promise as a starting point for the linkage of psychiatry to quantum models of mind, brain, and consciousness.