Virtual brain states and non-locality of the ERP

It has been previously proposed that conscious process involves the collapse of quantum, dynamical brain states through conscious observation. It has been further proposed that the brain process has an active role in selecting the status of uncertain stimuli. On the basis of these proposals it was predicted that event-related potentials (ERPs) would differ under unobserved versus pre-observed conditions. This has been found to be the case. Here we describe our most recent data, which shows that the difference between the pre-observed (inactive) and unobserved (active) conditions in ERPs is repticabte, and seems to involve a selective process of matching stimulus and virtual brain state under the two conditions. Maximization of entropy by congruence of stimulus and brain potential through a quantum entropy operator is the proposed physical mechanism for this finding. The prefrontal lobe inhibition of perseverative brain states under the active condition is proposed to be the neurological mechanism of the findings. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.