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Reflections about a “Membrane” between Mind and Brain

October 2024
Archives of Anatomy and Physiology 9(1):007-020

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Technische Universität Dresden

This review presents biophysical and quantum physical aspects of informational processes coming from the early evolution till the human brain. Here, the sophistication in the layered cortex architecture as well as the functional orientation of its areas has built nearly “free” zones for associations and connections. With our self-consciousness, a further horizon is reached which represents a “membrane” or portal to other space dimensions - leading out of the narrow cage of the brain. This notion renders the brain cortex into a kind of “antenna”. Some possible ways of this linkage to these “outer space dimensions” are discussed, also looking to psychological aspects like “extended mind”, terminal lucidity” etc.

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Citation: Funk RHW. Reflections about a “Membrane” between Mind and Brain. Arch Anat Physiol. 2024;9(1): 007-020.

Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.17352/aap.000023

Abstract

This review presents biophysical and quantum physical aspects of informational processes coming from the early evolution till the human brain. Here, the

sophistication in the layered cortex architecture as well as the functional orientation of its areas has built nearly “free” zones for associations and connections. With our

self-consciousness, a further horizon is reached which represents a “membrane” or portal to other space dimensions - leading out of the narrow cage of the brain.

This notion renders the brain cortex into a kind of “antenna”. Some possible ways of this linkage to these “outer space dimensions” are discussed, also looking to

psychological aspects like “extended mind”, terminal lucidity” etc.

Review Article

Reﬂ ections about a “Membrane”

between Mind and Brain

Richard HW Funk*

Senior Professor, Institute of Anatomy, TU-Dresden, Germany

Received: 08 October, 2024

Accepted: 21 October, 2024

Published: 22 October, 2024

*Corresponding author: Richard HW Funk, Senior Pro-

fessor, Institute of Anatomy, TU-Dresden, Germany,

E-mail: rfunk@dozent.di-uni.de;

richard.funk@tu-dresden.de

ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1326-5679

Keywords: Brain informational processes; Cortex

architecture; Biophysics; Quantum processes; Higher

consciousness; Philosophical and psychological

aspects

open-access article distributed under the terms of the

Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits

unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any

medium, provided the original author and source are

credited.

https://www.medsciencegroup.us

Introduction

This article is about the relationship between the

subjective experience, the “realm of the mind”, a world that is

internally recognizable through introspection, and the parallel

(epiphenomenal) informational processes in living systems

and ﬁ nally, our brain. This “hard problem” is one of the

biggest mysteries and one can only approach it in all modesty,

and it would be naïve to try to solve it [1]. Many interpretations

are to be found in the literature from materialistic theories,

e.g. mind-brain identity theory to dualism to panpsychist and

monistic views, where a universal spirit is behind everything.

Here, Kuhn [2] has offered a recent and ample overview.

These theories and especially the quantum theories can only

give a kind of mediation in the relation between the mind and

brain. However, no real solution has been found, yet for this hard

problem, “the problem of ﬁ nding a naturalistic explanation

for the qualia, namely these immaterial connotations of our

experiences” [3].

In approaching this riddle, many articles looked ﬁ rst at

the basic principles of how matter became “active matter”

and later “living matter” in a kind of self-organization [4-

8]. Here, a focus was laid on processes that increasingly get

an informational - means negentropic - grip on the building

blocks of matter [9].

Thus, matter is leveraged to higher and higher complexity,

showing at least the typical signs of life. Furthermore,

if this uplifting spiral is working with quicker media

like electromagnetic ﬁ elds or quantum processes, then

informational processes can easily take place in living

organisms. By this, we encounter the so-called minimal units

of consciousness (MUC) - well described in recent papers [10-

14]. The upgrading development of informational processing

starts with the smallest feedback loops between a stimulus and

a reaction already in protocells and archaebacteria [15]. These

are the smallest building blocks of a goal-oriented, teleonomic

way of working in the sense of minimal physicism [11,16,17],

turning even the smallest living beings into responsive entities.

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Citation: Funk RHW. Reflections about a “Membrane” between Mind and Brain. Arch Anat Physiol. 2024;9(1): 007-020.

Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.17352/aap.000023

As a result, e.g., bacteria can react to environmental

changes, move to the food source, or avoid toxins. Of course,

all this also applies to higher organisms, such as single-

celled organisms [18-20]. Here we already have even higher

abilities, such as a memory that reaches into the past [11]. In

such organisms, their free energy [21] is only enough to go

back to the past to remember particularly damaging events,

less so also to remember positive ones such as food sources,

etc. because reﬂ ecting on possible future events would cost too

much energy. At this point, nature not only has a goal-oriented

(teleonomic) component but above all an economy-oriented

component (minimal free energy principle) [11].

This is also the origin of the use of quantum processes –

already found from the elementary waves/particles to atomic

orbitals etc. – for information processes [22-25]. Finally,

in eukaryotic cells, the actual processing of information

takes place at the cell membrane or in internal membranes/

compartments. Here, the principle of Markov blankets applies

[12,26]. This means that information processing happens

behind a blanket in a protected space that is isolated from

disturbing inﬂ uences of the surroundings. Thus, molecules

can interact with each other via their charges/related ﬁ elds

and via quantum processes (see below). A read-out of the

internal calculations gathers the information on the surface

of this “protective ceiling” via mediators like EMF [27,28].

For the readout, corresponding frequencies can range from

IR to terahertz and to lower frequencies and corresponding

beats [29]. Ultimately, this can be converted into chemical

information via electron or proton shifts into the activity of

enzymes and in conformations, so to speak, which then couple

into classical cell biological signaling pathways [30].

So even in the smallest organisms such as protists, bacteria

protozoa, etc., we have this principle of MUC [13,31-33] as a

gradual breakdown of information from quantum calculations

to electromagnetic information and ﬁ nally to chemical and

mechanical responses of the cell. Also in communities, bacteria

can display community-level oscillatory dynamics [34,35].

During the higher development of living beings, such minimal

units of consciousness can cluster more and more strongly

and thus produce ever-larger “thinking apparatuses” [36].

These are collections of minimal units, but nothing has been

said about the extreme increase in performance in the further

development of the brains of invertebrates to vertebrates,

mammalians, and humans [37-41]. At the end of this

evolutionary line, self-awareness of the human mind appears,

and the human brain has reached an overall sophistication

that integrates all the above-mentioned tools of biophysics,

biochemistry, etc. gathered during evolution [13,42].

However, if we look at human consciousness: which

mechanisms are behind the seemingly disparate nature of

the subjective self-consciousness and the epiphenomena

that are going on concomitantly with the movements of our

mind. For example, there is a “disparity between the rapid

succession of mental processes and their electrophysiological

correlates, such as those measured by EEG. This discrepancy

raises fundamental questions about the nature and speed of

thought relative to their physical manifestations in the brain”

[14]. In the end we have to admit that “the evolution of human

consciousness is utterly inexplicable from the principles of

classical physics” and “In quantum physics, consciousness is

causally effective and capable of making genuine choices for

control of observed behavior. The transition from classical

to quantum thinking in biological sciences could be enabled

by appreciating the quantum nature of physical systems as a

useful physical resource that allows them to achieve tasks that

are impossible for classical systems” [43].

In the human brain, we see that the fugitive world of quantum

calculations is transferred to the processing layers below via

electromagnetic ﬁ elds by ephaptic coupling [44] with direct

and local transfer via gap junctions [45-49]. By this, thresholds

for action potential ﬁ ring are changed. This in turn leads to,

e.g., long-term potentiation and chemical/ionic facilitation

on synapses which are the templates for morphological

changes within the brain. Finally, morphological changes are

represented by outgrowing and re-ordering of dendritic spines

or changes in the quantity of axonal myelination [50,51]. Thus,

we see with our instruments of today only skid marks of the

informational processes within the brain and of the sceneries

which are subjectively accessible, and which are going on with

the speed of faster processes like quantum calculations [14].

In any case, during the evolution of information processing,

the human cortex has fully reached a border, mediating the

“real” outer world with a realm that possibly lies in “higher

dimensions”. This mediation might be done with the quantum

world of the brain. This appears like a “membrane” in the

quantum world or in analogy to a comment of Roger Penrose:

“Or is the goal of our quest beyond quantum physics?” [52].

This quest should be also a topic of the present article. The

expression Akashic Chronic (A-Field after E. Laszlo [53]) for

a memory beyond our 3D space and time was already used in

a previous related article [13], the present manuscript goes

even further from reality - at ﬁ rst glance. However, more and

more scientiﬁ c papers come onto the scene on this topic [54,

55], some of which were dismissed as voodoo only decades

ago. But with the latest data from physics and many other

disciplines, things can be increasingly conﬁ rmed that were

previously considered completely absurd. Furthermore, due to

modern information techniques, big data mining, etc., so many

compelling proofs exist that the mind is in no way restricted

to the narrow cage of our head: phenomena like lucid dreams,

near-death reports, xenoglossy, terminal lucidity, out-of-

body sensations [54,56-59] are mind bafﬂ ing. So, questions

remain: with which eyes does the person “out of the body” see

the sceneries that are reported, and which are in most cases

proofed as real? Why could people sense events without “real”

senses which then proofed that they really happened? In many

cases, our established science performs contortions to answer

these questions and takes refuge in complicated linguistic

expressions as well as offering pseudo-rationale explanations,

like mass hypnosis or random coincidences, etc. – in order not

to let any further questions arise here.

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Citation: Funk RHW. Reflections about a “Membrane” between Mind and Brain. Arch Anat Physiol. 2024;9(1): 007-020.

Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.17352/aap.000023

Regarding extrasensory perceptions, the ﬁ rst cautious

approach to leaving the narrow brain-cage is the concept of an

“extended mind” [60]. Here, objects within the environment

function as a part of the mind and are a “coupled system” - a

complete cognitive system of its own. In this manner, the mind

is extended into the physical world, to man-made machines or

social groups.

The present manuscript adds arguments from various

schools of philosophy and humanities to the topics mentioned

above. Corresponding results are often hard to proof or disproof

scientiﬁ cally, however, in the last years we have experienced

a rapid increase of canonical scientiﬁ c literature that tries to

reconcile such different poles [54]. In this line, the following

topics were analyzed:

1) At the highest-level within the brain, information

processing is via quantum physics or beyond quantum

physics.

2) Phenomena of time in quantum processes and our brain

3) For the process of self-recognizing by our mind the

system of self-representation must possess at least one

“dimension of possibilities” more.

4) Where is the interface, the “membrane” through which

the 2 realms (our brain in a 3D world and a “higher”

space dimensions) can interact?

5) So where could the “membrane” be located and what

could it look like?

Results and discussion

At the highest-level within the brain, information proces-

sing is via quantum physics or beyond quantum physics

We have to seize again the notion that the brain is working

at the highest level with quantum information processes and

that our subjective experience tells us that sceneries come very

fast and can be shifted without delay.

Quantum processes have developed in evolution over

billions of years [6,8,61] – beginning with the basic elementary

physics, to quantum orbitals of atoms, to molecular reactions

with tunneling in enzymes, then information conduction

processes in larger biomolecules like in microtubule, etc.

In the words of Zhi and Xiu [62]: “Life and consciousness

are based on structure, order, connection, correlation, and

coherence. Neural systems, membranes, microtubules, DNA,

and the structures of living systems have greater similarity

with crystals, semiconductor materials, superconductors,

lasers, and superﬂ uids. In classical mechanics, the existence

of such phenomena is impossible; they need to be studied

with quantum physics.” Furthermore, quantum phenomena

are hierarchically ordered with feedback loops reaching up

and down, with classical macro levels providing the context

for quantum events [25]. Nevertheless, quantum processes

always emit photons, and they can theoretically bridge further

distances in the brain.

As mentioned above, biology always works with

approximations in the direction of optimization and not with

a (digital) formulation of ideal solutions, which are then

immediately realized [63]. In this respect, this procedure is

very similar to quantum calculations, because here possibilities

are explored, namely with photons. Again and again, photons

are exchanged in the connection of the molecules working

with each other [64] to approximate the optimal result. The

high complexity of all thousands of reactions that take place

simultaneously in a mammalian cell [65], also renders the

statement of Görnitz [66] understandable, who writes about

the quantum relationships of molecules: “It is only through

the entanglement of photons that it becomes explainable

that information structures arise whose complexity cannot

be captured with single photons or even with ideas of

electromagnetic waves.” Photons form anew in every new

quantum calculation and entanglement period, always at the

starting point of the factual (materialized) starting points,

and are ﬂ uid and exchangeable as long as a fact has not been

formed. Nevertheless, the complex interplay of the entangled

photons then forms a new information structure, which ﬁ nally

forms a new fact when the state vector collapses [13].

Overall, however, the exchange of information initially

via the quantum level costs much less energy [12] than if

substrates are immediately realized as reaction products, then

degraded again, and then realized again. The same applies in

information processing, here not everything is “printed” out

in the same way in the calculation, read, and rewritten, i.e. the

hardware of the brain – the connections of the neurons – is

changed in the same way. As with computers, it ﬁ rst goes from

the subtle quantum level into the photons, i.e. electrical level,

then in the direction of “ﬁ rmware” (in machine language) with

computers i.e. the chemical synapses and the physicochemical

action potentials, before it really changes the hardware, namely

in e.g. the outgrowth of dendritic spines on pyramidal cells or

other relatively solid compounds [14].

It is true, that in the brain a large computing capacity is

possible, especially if one applies the holographic model (2.5

Pbyte instead of 30 TB – conventional neuroscience) [67]. It

was calculated that the brain can perform about 1013 to 1016

analog calculations per second and requires about 15 to 20

watts of chemical power. A supercomputer (IBM’s BlueGene/L)

can do up to 3.6·1014 double-precision ﬂ oating-point operations

per second, however, this requires about 3.2 megawatts [IBM

2004, 2024]. Thus, the brain would cook itself up, if it would

only operate in classical ways [63]. This also applies to other

molecular processes in the cells, and one would generally

have to consume many more calories in order to cope with the

enormous metabolic rates - a person builds up (and breaks

down) the same amount of ATP every day, which corresponds

to his entire body weight! Here, again, an economy of free

energy has prevailed (see introduction), which can be found

throughout biology.

These arguments make it very clear, that quantum

principles were already exploited for information transfer

in primitive protocells [15,68] and ﬁ nally in eukaryotes. For

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Citation: Funk RHW. Reflections about a “Membrane” between Mind and Brain. Arch Anat Physiol. 2024;9(1): 007-020.

Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.17352/aap.000023

example, unicellular organisms like amoebae can react very

variable compared to larger organisms with a nervous system.

Of course, a single-celled organism has no nerve cells or nerve

system. Nevertheless, it avoids an obstacle in a coordinated

manner and uses the beat of its cilia in a highly “concerted”

manner. That is why Hameroff and Penrose [19] blame the

microtubules of the cytoskeleton for this function, and also for

the necessary quantum calculations via hexagonal benzene-

phenyl rings of the microtubules that share three delocalized

pi orbital electrons, forming “pi resonance clouds”. Thus,

quantum coupling is possible between these clouds [69,70].

However, other mechanisms via membrane channels and ions

or spin - spin correlations are proposed for cellular quantum

computing and information transfer [71-73]. In any case, brain

information processes are search processes [74] and these work

perfectly with quantum mechanics [66]. Most processes below

the level of quantum calculations we can resolve with functional

MRI as well as the extremely complicated neuronal wiring

[75] and their functional gradients [76]. Magnetic recordings

already record electric (ephaptic) couplings of multilayered

neuronal arrays [77]. Thus, we begin to understand the

functional interplay of “semblions” [78], of the mental states,

perceived objects as well as feelings. We must admit that these

classical electric and electrochemical phenomena are working

very fast [79], however, many “higher” cortical functions than

the processing of visual stimuli must use quantum calculations

[80].

But back to the general quantum relationships in the brain:

in fact, recent proposals suggest that unknown systems can

mediate entanglement between two known quantum systems,

if the mediator itself is non-classical. For the human brain

and by NMR detection via zero quantum coherence, Kerskens

and Perez [81] have found that entanglement mediated by

consciousness-related brain functions must be non-classical.

In this respect, it was shown that ﬂ uoranes which are used

for general anesthesia interact exclusively with quantum-

entangled (!) photons and not with individual photons [82].

This suggests that, at least at a fundamental level, there could

be a mediation via photonic information directed towards nerve

cells. It also indicates a potential causal relationship between

consciousness and brain function at the photonic level.

Thus, at this level brain functions should operate non-

classically, which would mean quantum, or “beyond-quantum”

based. This also shows that in the brain such phenomena exist

not only in the nm and μm range but also macroscopically [75].

For such quantum phenomena, Nishiyama, et al. [67] proposed

a holographic brain theory by super-radiance. They posed the

question “where is the image of the outside world formed

inside the brain? Ruppert Sheldrake hypothesized that we

actually send waves outside our body to probe the space around

us. On the other hand, Karl Pribram proposed a holographic

image formation within our brains [67]. Which of these ideas

is closer to the truth? We argue that the holographic brain

hypothesis has merits that have not yet been fully explored.

One of the possible beneﬁ ts would be simultaneous integration

and synchronization of sensory inputs into a coherent whole.”

Holographic representation could be ideal for memory storage,

too, because memory is robust against brain damage, as

holographic images are robust against smaller damages, and

holography can yield a much greater storage capacity than

via classical ways [83]. However, this should only be true for

special parts of the brain like the frontal lobe and parietal

lobes, in other parts like, e.g., grid cells for localization of the

organism in the environment, and for other centers, it should

be locally conﬁ ned in the brain [66].

In their “Quantum Theory of Consciousness,” Zhi and Xiu

[62] ﬁ nd another stringent connection between mind and

body: “Life and consciousness are based on structure, order,

connection, correlation, and coherence. Neural systems,

membranes, microtubules, DNA, and the structures of living

systems have greater similarity with crystals, semiconductor

materials, superconductors, lasers, and superﬂ uids. In classical

mechanics, the existence of such phenomena is impossible; they

need to be studied with quantum physics.” And for mediation

of the related quantum processes, Leong [84] argues: “… that

photons, through their dual nature, act as pivotal conduits

facilitating the intricate processes of resonance and perception.

They bridge the observer and the observed, functioning as

carriers of information, and weave a tapestry that is both

minutely detailed (via their particle nature) and expansively

interconnected (via their wave nature). This simultaneous

embodiment of speciﬁ city and potentiality within photons

is foundational in shaping human consciousness and our

engagement with external reality. The concept of resonance,

underlined by photon interactions, echoes prominently within

the theoretical constructs of Quantum Holography”.

Phenomena of time in quantum processes and our brain

But back to the difference in the speed of our subjective

experience in humans and the suggested rapid processes via

quantum calculations and the objectively measured nerve

conduction velocities. Why can we still ﬁ nd our way around in

time and not constantly stumble over obstacles or are knocked

over? Here you must clearly separate the processing processes

in the cerebral cortex from the other more reﬂ ective processes

in the nervous system [85]. We have a “reﬂ ex person” in

us who reacts relatively quickly - at least in hundredths to

tenths of a second - to predictable stimuli through learned

reactions. For example, a protective reﬂ ex, defensive reﬂ ex,

balance reﬂ ex, etc. are given as a response to sudden changes

in the environment. A specially created pre-dating mechanism

guarantees that the reﬂ ex person does not come into conﬂ ict

with the consciously thinking person [86].

Measured with the most modern methods the transmission

of a tactile process from the ﬁ nger to the brain, for example,

takes about 10 milliseconds. In addition, if the brain “expects”

a second tactile process at the same frequency, i.e. in the same

rhythm, then you can even foist other stimuli on the brain, such

as a clicking sound, and then this is only subjectively processed

“shifted” because otherwise this obviously overwhelms the

processing rhythm – or the turning of our attention. On the

other hand, there is already a “readiness attitude/potential”

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Citation: Funk RHW. Reflections about a “Membrane” between Mind and Brain. Arch Anat Physiol. 2024;9(1): 007-020.

Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.17352/aap.000023

for similar stimuli that are clocked at this frequency in the

brain. These then act as an “over-fast” reaction to similar

stimuli, although it is not a reaction triggered directly from

the outside, one was in the correspondingly “preset” readiness

attitude. This means that the brain always tries to adjust a little

in advance to possible situations that will come our way. When

looking directly at the brain processes with functional magnetic

resonance tomography, a rhythmic activity that jumps back

and forth between different brain regions is noticeable [87-

89].

But quantum information does not transmit the information

as such but must be brought into the real world via complicated

readout processes. This is why quantum information is often

used in the wrong context. The transmission speed of direct

information only goes up to the speed of light. This is why

Penrose introduced the term “quanglement” [90], as it is

about entanglement or coherence, i.e. modiﬁ ed information.

“Furthermore, if information as such could go backwards in

classical times, then the paradox would arise, for example,

that if you went backwards into the past and killed one of your

ancestors there, you would suddenly cease to exist. Therefore,

such an effect is excluded and will never be measurable. In

the brain, however, an unconscious backward movement of

quantum information cannot violate this law of causality,

because it remains unconsciously in the brain and has no

external effects” [14,91]. This could actually explain the

temporal appearances of consciousness, the almost immediate

perceptual experience, and also the immediate formation of the

will.

On deep reﬂ ection on the phenomenon of “sense of time”,

it appears as Eddington described it: “there are entities,

events, processes, etc. - they take place, and we pass them

by (“temporally” - author’s commentary)” [92] (Figure 1).

Here too, we must introduce at least one more dimension of

possibilities, 4+D. We as individuals move in 3D space in time

and every now and then we can catch a “tip” of the processes

that take place in 4+D from a different “perspective”. Even if

one assumes this hyperspace in another picture, e.g., as stacked

or nested 3D spaces, then one always needs something active

as a “driver” in order to go forward or backward in time - just

4+D plus “time”.

Regarding quantum-mediated phenomena in the

microscopic range of microtubuli, Roger Penrose [93] proposed

that the brain sends unconscious quantum information

backwards through time during information processing. In the

quantum world, time is going in two directions, both forwards

and backwards. Thus, time itself does not exist as such in the

quantum world - see also King’s “transactional interpretation of

non-locality” [94] have demonstrated quantum entanglement

between two photons that are not coexisting. Here, one photon

is measured even before the other is created, however, full

quantum correlations were found demonstrating that the non-

locality of quantum mechanics applies not only to space but

also to time.

Only if quantum “calculations” come back via decoherence

into our 3D world, do the classical succession of events and

causal relationships create the arrow of time. Long ago P. Jordan

coined the sentence: “The collapse of the wave function works

as an ampliﬁ cation mechanism acting as a bridge between the

quantum and the classical world” [95].

Let us again consider the subjective perception of time

and how it should be in evolution. In the case of the minimal

units of consciousness, we have seen that for reasons of the

economy of free energy, it is sufﬁ cient to store only past

experiences. With the higher development of metazoa up to

humans, more and more goal-oriented behavior occurs, which

suggests that certain planning for the future is also taking

place. This means that the living being can now extend the

vector of subjective time toward the future. At higher levels of

experience and thinking ability in humans, it is also possible

to look at complicated networks of relationships and causal

links between people or certain systems. This can be seen like a

plane and also extrapolated two-dimensionally into the future

as a time level (networked thinking).

For the process of self-recognizing by our mind the sys-

tem of self-representation must possess at least one

“dimension of possibilities” more

In the situation of contemplation over an object, as a viewer

in 4+D, one is internalized and in relation to the objects of

observation – “For what is inside, that is outside” (Goethe,

poems). In this way, I can grasp both sides of the “coin” in the

sense of the “quantum observer” (see below), while in 3D (only

spatial dimensions!) I separate myself from the object and thus

objectively “determine” it - ego and object are thus separated

(typical dualistic view since Descartes [2]).

On the other hand, quantum phenomena seem to come

from a higher dimension that has “fallen” into our 3D space

+ time – from a world of at least 4D + time (see Introduction).

Thus, the electron orbitals of atoms have both a wave and a

particle nature. And, if you look at the bizarre orbital shapes,

e.g. dumbbell shape or even more absurd shapes like it is seen in

the so-called “rosette-shaped” d- and f- orbitals - in 3D space,

one element would never circle around another in this way.

Figure 1: Pouring out of the realm of possibilities (1): events, entities, processes

etc. (2) - they take place, and we pass them by (chronologically). We can capture

the appearances only at the right time (Kairos) (3) -modiﬁ ed after Eddington [92].

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Citation: Funk RHW. Reflections about a “Membrane” between Mind and Brain. Arch Anat Physiol. 2024;9(1): 007-020.

Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.17352/aap.000023

The tunneling of electrons, i.e. the passage through an energy

barrier that would be insurmountable according to classical

physics, is also such a paradox [96]. The quantum relationship

of “entangled” photons is also temporally permanent and

spatially completely independent. The relationship is such

that a change in the state of one photon entails an immediate

(“instantaneous”) corresponding change in the state of the

other photon, regardless of whether the distance is μm or

kilometers!

With the paradoxes of the double-slit experiment, we

enter another additional “space”, namely the realm of the

relationships of the observer (and his brain) and an external

system! These questions lead us back to the world of philosophy.

Werner Heisenberg wrote in 1956 [97] “... we must remember

that what we observe is not nature itself, but nature that is

exposed to our way of questioning.”

However, this also shows that one cannot separate the

observer (e.g. via his brain) and the observed in such quantum

experiments! For example, Heiblum and his group have shown

the so-called quantum xenon effect [98]. This means that the

more often a system is observed, the more its processes slow

down, and they also become more coherent because of this

action (depending on the strength of the intervention). They

also observed that the more often an observation of a quantum

system is made, the more the observers can inﬂ uence the result

that is to come out of this experiment [99,100].

May be some observations like that of the “quantum

eraser” may be mis- or overinterpreted [101], but the following

statement remains: “The qualitative distinction of traits such

as observer-dependent/independent, whether in the epistemic

or in the ontological sense, carries a mudskipper. Even if

human creations, albeit observer-relative, might not be so by

themselves, there is always the Gödelian enigma, i.e., that the

decision to claim an entity to be observer-independent must

depend on an observer” [102].

Thus, we ourselves (or at least the “determination system”

we have devised) are forced to believe that we a part of the

strange (4+D) quantum physics that we have just observed!

Thought forms, which are sent as quantum resonance from a

deﬁ ned structure from the brain into the 4+D world, should

therefore inﬂ uence the experiment. However, where do the

“creative” and the “new” come into the world, regardless of

whether it is computer-generated or not – as Brändas [102]

addresses it in the so-called NATI hypothesis (Nature is all

that it is). So, he has no solution for this problem either. He

postulates negentropic pockets in open dynamical systems of

self-organization where creative aspects can arise in evolution.

However, in the end, he remits it to the very long-time courses

of evolution, and we never can experience it in such time

courses.

And ﬁ nally, when introducing other dimensions, one could

argue that the “hard problem” is only shifted to other worlds,

to other “drawers” and dimensions. However, the problem of

creativity, mental connections of new entities, etc., remains.

But again, where is the pilot of consciousness here [103]?

As already stated, one needs one dimension more to grasp

three spatial dimensions. Already during the vision process,

two images of the left and right eye are generated and then

sent to the association or representation areas within the

brain. In the primary visual center, there are the side-speciﬁ c

cortical columns of representation sending the information to

other centers in order to calculate the 3-D impression [104]. In

general, for the target process, which is complete and virtually

online. Without much delay, many different centers in the brain

are responsible for vision tasks – it can involve more than 50%

of the cortex [105]! So, if you want to see a so-called tilting

image - such as the Necker cube or the ﬁ xation staircase - ﬁ rst

in one direction and then in the other, then an image changes

to the other possibility with a response of 0.5 seconds or more

[106]. On the other hand, during the physiological process, of

vision, everything is immediately captured by our perception,

the three-dimensional situation, color, movement, etc., and

the information of the picture is distributed over many areas

within our brain.

So, where is the ego, the mind pilot looking at the picture,

and where comes the contents of our thinking? Do they come

from the subconscious, which represents much more than

the consciousness - which is only “a little ship on the sea of

the unconscious” [107] or from wherever? Here we can only

stick to the inspirations and research results of the humanities

scholars (see below).

Where is the interface, the “membrane” through which

the 2 worlds (our brain in a 3D world and a “higher”

world) can interact?

From the previous argumentation about the speed of

information processing and from the many individual data

of recent publications, it becomes increasingly clear that the

highest level of information processing in the brain must take

place via quantum physical processes (see above). Probably,

our brain could dive into the quantum world with resonance

via such “antennas”. And if the quantum world is to be one

dimension higher, where should be a portal or a membrane?

Is this macroscopically via a direct passage or does the

information have to pass through a microscopic “portal” at the

Planck level? What properties enable the human brain to act as

a quantum antenna?

During evolution up to the human brain, more and

more neurons have formed that are not assigned to a direct

function, such as vision, hearing, motor skills, etc. [108,109].

In addition, more and more interneurons are created that

provide associations between individual brain areas and thus

functionally serve to further process the brain’s inputs and

outputs [110]. And increasingly there is a focus on the links

between them and their rapid attachment, dismantling,

and conversion - depending on the learning processes.

Metabolically, all neurons in the cortex are protected (blood –

brain barrier) and are otherwise “mothered” by the glial cells.

This allows these neurons, which are mainly located in the

frontal lobe, and their connections in layer I of the cortex to

concentrate fully on “quasi-neutral” information processing

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[27]. Together with the apical dendrites of the pyramidal cells,

they are then, “the antennae” that “listen” into the quantum

processes. On the other hand, according to the common view,

at some point in the evolutionary line towards humans, a

critical limit of complexity, density, and quantity of neurons

and their connections was reached, which then led to the

emergence of a new quality [111]. This new quality should then

be consciousness and later self-conﬁ dence. But from where

does something e-merge? From which space of possibilities

does something suddenly appear?

Of course, we have to learn from birth to deal with our

environment. We have to learn what the things around us

mean. In the visual process, in coordination in combination

with sensorimotor skills, we then slowly “understand” and

“know” our environment. At the same time, corresponding

“resonance groups” of neurons are connected, which then

virtually map the outside world in our brain [38,40,76]. At the

same time, our behavior is constantly corrected by positive and

negative feedback from the outside world, and thus internal

circuits are also readjusted. For example, we also have to learn

to rein in or control our emotions. In this way, a “censor” sits

on the more primitive basic patterns that normally control our

emotions. And so, it goes on and on, until a moment appears in

the individual development in which the ﬁ rst self-conﬁ dence

shines through. And in such a way that we can evaluate and

observe ourselves relatively neutrally - as if from the outside -

in the most elaborate case – without getting too entangled in

emotional relationships again – put ourselves in other people’s

shoes [85]. A “higher dimension” of perception that interacts

with the rest of the brain. But if a more neutral neuronal matrix

(e.g. in the frontal lobe) is formed, shouldn’t that also be a

mirror, an antenna, or better many antennas with many radio

receivers, with which we can adjust to increasingly complex

levels or “station programs”? When certain “ideas” come to us

from outside, it often happens, as a complete thought picture,

and one experiences here everything immediately. What about

“evidence experiences” - when we have the sentient that what

we feel as an inner experience corresponds to what we observe

outside? This could be because our inner resonance ﬁ elds

coincide with what comes to us from the outside. Therefore,

the receiving station for subtle quantum thought processes and

inspirations should easily be in resonance, e.g., via quantum

and electric processes (see above).

So where could the “membrane” be located and what

could it look like?

Couldn’t the passage between the worlds also be on the

lowest level, at the Zero Point Fluctuation (ZPF) and Quantum

Kinetics? Then we are no longer dealing with the antennas

quietly set to reception, but we look at the level of zero-point

ﬂ uctuation. There is a wild gear here, but this level is smaller

by orders of magnitude than the level of elementary particles,

atoms, and molecules (10-13 m). This means that this swirling

quantum foam ﬁ ts billions of times between the elementary

particles. Here, virtual particles come and go even at zero

degrees Kelvin in what is known as the ZPF. This happens near

the so-called Planck length of 1.616 × 10−35 m and at extremely

short-term intervals up to the Planck time of 5.391 × 10−44 s

[112,113]. This ZPF could therefore be the common denominator

between the quantum ﬁ eld and the membrane.

Keppler [114,115] suggests a resonant ampliﬁ cation of

zero-point modes of our mind processes within the brain as

a kind of projection into the ZPF and a resonance by phase

locking of similar attractors [116]. In this respect, Poznanski

[117] proposes “that the fundamental process of consciousness

originates from raw ﬂ uctuations at the molecular level (~ 0.2

nm to 1nm), where thermal molecular agitation is a source of

molecular-embedded raw ﬂ uctuations.” Here, “thermo-qubits

are supposed to be the noncontextually raw syntax at the

source of syntactical structures. However, he argues in a recent

paper [118] that information quantization should be seen as

a macroscopic quantum effect with structuration in time by

resonance, synchrony, or coherence.

In any case, active work with the “ideas” as a whole, or

the relationships of the thoughts, must take place through the

working memory and through the whole brain, whereby the

active structural or intentional process is particularly decisive

[118]. But where do the ideas from the unconscious come from?

Where does the unconscious, the body consciousness, get its

information from?

In any case, with the elementary particles, atoms, and

molecules of our whole body, we are completely embedded in

the ZPF level. In this way, the body could also receive similar

information! Such questions remain unanswered, and we can

only rely on the reports of the humanities scholars. But if we

receive from the noise [118] what we project into it, in the sense

of a “reﬂ exive monism” [119,120], then the question remains,

where does the “new”, the creative combination of what has

already existed, the impulses or the complete reorientation

come from? Do we draw this from the unconscious, from the

“body consciousness” or from other “hidden” deposits in other

parts of the brain or the autonomic nervous system [121, 122]?

Is it possible that the 4+ dimensions are placed around us and

in us (we as 3D humans can hardly visualize this) and we then

get it from our body up into the brain? This 4+D penetration

is it also between atoms and elementary particles? And if the

“parts” of our thought content are regrouped in the “other

space”, in the 4+D – who or what helps with this? Are these

the subtle “auras” of the “transition zones” on the membrane

(that are still to be discussed) that “color” the contents of

feelings and thoughts individually according to our traditions,

language, socializations, country speciﬁ cs, etc.? Or is it again

what is stored in the brain (wherever) as “memory” from the

earliest imprint before and after birth?

The fact is that we cannot completely get out of our imprints

of continent, country, language, culture, religion, etc. [123, 124]

- partly through extremely disciplined training and preparation.

This also applies to our perception of sensory stimuli, which is

mixed with immediate interpretation – we are already shaped

by evolution in such a way that in our memory and therefore

in perception and behavior, the dangerous and negative for our

survival are interpreted more strongly – i.e. fear and avoidance

patterns – as recklessness or excessive daring. This has already

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shaped the basic connections in the brain pathways. And so, it

goes on with what we have already been given in the course of

life. Ultimately, it is also a reﬂ exive monism or a “supradual

construct” [120]. Supradual means that behind the dualistic

image between the “world of things” and the “world of the

mind” there is another world – in another “space” dimension,

so to speak. That’s why Rapaport explains this with the image

of the Möbius strip or small bottle, which is expanded into

the HyperKlein bottle. Overall, these constructs then become

similar to protyposis, or the “subquantum background” - a

background geometry that we ﬁ nd in the theories of spacetime

[63,125-128].

What does Protyposis mean, or with background geometry

in the physics of space? And where do we have to imagine the

passage level, the “membrane”? The term “Protyposis” was

coined by Görnitz [63,66] it is a reason why everything that

exists can be represented in a three-dimensional space as a

consequence of protyposis [63]: “For reasons of group theory,

it is the space of representations of protyposis, the space of

its “appearances”... Thus, the movement of the Earth and the

Moon is recorded with six spatial coordinates and six-speed

coordinates – i.e. in a twelve-dimensional space – even though

all this happens in three-dimensional space. The prototype

anticipates possibilities - if they manifest themselves in

our 3D world, they are then channeled into certain paths

by this ﬁ xation.” According to Görnitz, this is also called

“dynamic layer structure” because step by step (always ﬁ rst

protyposis and then manifestation) in our world then result

from the possibilities getting more concrete realities. The

more is concretized in this way, the narrower the paths or

the levels or spaces of possibility that remain for ﬁ ngering

out the potentialities become. This is reminiscent of evolution

(mentioned above), which also explores almost all possibilities

of biological manifestations over very long periods (deep time)

and possibly brings them into our world. For the protyposis,

there are three manifestations in our world that can be

converted back into each other: information, energy, and

particles – and “simple things can be extended and complex

things can be small” [63].

Regarding the information processes of the brain, this

means an interplay between software and hardware according

to protyposis as the uniﬁ ed framework of quantum physics,

matter, and information. This intimate relation between soft-

and hardware as a dynamic layer structure is expressed in the

notion of “uniware” [63].

Discussion and future directions

You can see that you do not necessarily have to go over the

“quantum foam” to explain some quantum phenomena because

such a connection is already possible in larger up to really

macroscopic systems. However, the common denominator

remains the “connectedness” and the “instantaneous”

(without delay) exchange of information.

Expanding to brain processes Pribram [74] states “My

claim is that the basis function from which both matter and

mind are “formed” is the potential reality, the ﬂ ux or holo-

ﬂ ux, [129]. And for the decoherence of the neuronal quantum

processes Pribram cites Stapp: “Brain process is essentially a

search process - the brain searches for a satisfactory response

- and then dissipates [increases the entropy of] its energy in

the initiation of the action that it represents”.

In this respect, David Bohm [130,131] pointed out many

striking similarities between the behavior of our thought

processes and that of some quantum processes. For example,

while entertaining a vague train of thought, the act of

concentrating on one, to bring it into better focus, changes

the original sequence. Like electrons governed by Heisenberg’s

uncertainty principle, which are never the same again once

they have been looked at or measured, a thought that has

been highlighted through attention is different from the vague

musing that preceded it. The focused thought has “position” like

the particle aspect of an electron’s two-sided nature, whereas

the vague musing has “momentum” like the electron’s wave

aspect. We can never experience both simultaneously. This is

a characteristic feature of a quantum entity. However, Bancal,

et al. [132] suggest in their paper “Quantum non-locality

based on ﬁ nite-speed causal inﬂ uences leads to superluminal

signalling” that quantum correlations somehow arise from

outside spacetime, in the sense that no story in space and time

can describe how they occur…”

Regarding ZPF De la Pena, et al. [133] present a quantum

formalism where both matter and radiation ﬁ eld are shown to

emerge because of the permanent interaction of matter with

the ZPF. They argue that quantum mechanics alone represents

a handy, but incomplete description of the statistical behavior

in conﬁ guration (or momentum) space of the mechanical

part in the particle–ﬁ eld system. With their elaboration

of nonrelativistic quantum electrodynamics, they suggest

crossing the doorway go beyond quantum mechanics.

Possibly, we project our mental activities into the “white

noise” of the ZPF and here they enter the “other world” formed

as “Geistgestalten” (shapes of our mind) and then they come

back to our brain with some modiﬁ cations, creative impulses

and in the case of viewing or contemplation as evidence

experiences. But what is this “outside spacetime”?

This view of the ZPF regards it like a hyperspace [125], an

aspect which was also mentioned by Volkamer [126] who depicts

in his theory of 3 parallel worlds, two worlds of subtle matter (as

a kind of background geometry with 12+ dimensions) and our

world as structurally identical gross material “crust” of the two

others and this is comparable to Plato’s “shadow world” and

Bohm’s “explicit order”. Bohm formulated an interpretation

of the quantum mechanics of hidden (ethereal) variables),

which spans an invisible but actually existing (ethereal) world

(“implicit order”). This world superimposes and conditions

our visible gross material world with the “explicit order” in a

higher dimensional way – including the processes of natural

law [130,131]. Also, recent cosmological models propose that

we live in a “multiverse” or even in a black hole with our three

space dimensions inside more other dimensions and time [134]

or with an anti-parallel universe, too [135].

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In the end, if we look at such inﬂ uences of such parallel

worlds and their inﬂ uence on the highest developed areas of

our brain, then our brain cortex is actually “degraded” to an

antenna or a receiver. In part, this is because, of course, the

rest of the brain has to amplify these signals, reduce them

to what can be processed, store them, and prepare them for

further purposes. After all, it should also be made available to

our “reﬂ ex person” who lives in the “now” of classical physics

and works with classical nerve conduction, for example.

The following phenomena that cannot be explained in

any other way, such as sudden ingenious abilities after brain

trauma, anesthesia, or other drastic events, also speak in favor

of an antenna function of the brain projecting through the

mentioned membrane and projecting into other dimensions.

For example, there is a case who, after a severe traumatic brain

injury, suddenly had the ability to recognize mathematical

and geometric formulas in all the structures he saw. This

allowed this person to see fractals (see above) and geometric

derivatives in the shapes immediately and intuitively –

although he had never shone with mathematical or geometric

skills before [136,137]. You can also mentally familiarize

yourself with an area of knowledge through intensive practice

and constant “sticking to it”. In the process, however, the

new connections in the brain also change, which makes it

more “receptive” (!) to corresponding intuitions again. It is

possible that the corresponding new connections and newly

developed sensitivities in the brain are then also newly formed

antennae for newly built “homes” in a spiritual realm - in a

“hyperspace” of whatever kind [125].

Indeed, H. Wahbeh, et al. [57] argue: “If consciousness were

non-local, one might be able to perceive information from

underivable future events. Experiments testing this idea have

shown that human physiology responds to randomly selected

future events [138], including electrodermal (skin resistance)

[139], electrocortical (EEG) activity [140-142], and heart rate

[143,144]. These laboratory studies apparently show that the

body can react to randomly selected stimuli about 1–10 seconds

in the future. Erotic and negative images produce more robust

reactions than emotionally neutral images. Pre-reactions

generally manifest in the same direction that the body would

normally react after being exposed to a stimulus. This has also

been shown by meta-analyses (summary evaluations) of these

studies [145-149].”

In addition, this recent work by Wahbeh, et al. [57] has cited

several phenomena, all of which suggest that consciousness is

not an emergent property of the brain. In this way, information

from distant places is perceived unconsciously or consciously.

Furthermore, information can be absorbed by other people

without them being able to communicate in any way in the

classic way. Then, as mentioned above, that up to some seconds

into the future can be foreseen, as “feeling the future” [150,151].

This would also ﬁ t King’s “transactional interpretation of non-

locality” (see above). Interestingly, in probands, an avoidance

of masked negative stimuli takes place about 500 milliseconds

before stimulus onset [152].

It is also reported that people suddenly develop skills

that are beyond their experiential knowledge, for example,

xenoglossia, i.e. never heard of or spoken foreign languages

they have learned before. Furthermore, cognitive abilities can

suddenly be regained when the brain is seriously damaged in

its function, such as the terminal lucidity of previously severely

neurodegenerative damaged people (Alzheimer’s and similar

diseases) [153,154]. In other cases, people with a rather low

level of education have developed mathematical formulas and

derivatives in “looked” pictures (e.g. Srinivasa Ramanujan in

the last century) that had caused the great mathematicians of

the time to be downright enthusiastic and amazed! Of course, the

same applies to “born” geniuses, who – as already mentioned

– often report that the new and ingenious “fell” to them –

almost intuitively. Interestingly, the “ingenious” mathematics

of Srinivasa Ramanujan helped to perform calculations for the

aforementioned string theory 80 years later.

But here we can only speculate from the point of view of the

humanities. What remains is a background that subtly affects

our world, which allows for all possibilities, relationships, and

processes, but nevertheless represents a connection of the

whole from the origin of matter to our consciousness and leads

to the phenomena discussed, in whatever way.

So, the “Membrane” for the communication with the

brain as well as with the organism could be both within the

subatomic even within the “subquantum level” [127] and as

well in the macroscopical level, “protypical” and holistic as

“Geistgestalten” (ﬁ gures of our mind). We are all involved in

the multidimensional Cosmic Mind [155], in this respect, this

is both monistic, panpsychic [62,156] or multiple- or supra-

dual (matter, mind as a dual construct) [120] (Figure 2). And

of course, with our brain and the experiences we have stored

in it (see above) [157], we ﬁ lter out all inﬂ uences from higher

dimensions. If, however, in moments of meditation and other

extraordinary circumstances (see above), we have little or no

“ﬁ ltering” inﬂ uence here, then W. Blake’s words apply [158]:

„If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would

appear to man as it is, inﬁ nite…”

Figure 2: Horizon of all possibilities (1) imbibing all objects (2) and the perceiving

subject (3) in a supradual manner. This “horizon” (1) can be seen as background

geometry (“further dimension”) serving as mediating “space” for conscious

perceptions.

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Citation: Funk RHW. Reflections about a “Membrane” between Mind and Brain. Arch Anat Physiol. 2024;9(1): 007-020.

Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.17352/aap.000023

Conclusion

In the present review, it is hypothesized that man is able to

receive and transfer information from another space dimension

with a kind of super-extended mind. For these purposes, our

body and brain can function as antennae and transmitters

reaching through a portal and “membrane” into a horizon

of all possibilities that imbibe all objects, memories, and the

perceiving subject. Philosophically, this represents a kind of

supradual interpretation encompassing both a monistic and

panpsychic view. Regarding the portal or membrane to another

space dimension, quantum processes as well as sub-quantum

processes at the ZPF level are in discussion.

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