Impairment of consciousness in Alzheimer’s disease: the amyloid water-filled nanotubes manifest quantum optical coherence interfering with the normal quantum brain dynamics?

Recent discovery by Perutz et al. (2002) of the physical structure of the amyloid that accumulates in neurons in certain neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease or Huntington’s disease, suggests novel mechanism of consciousness impairment, different from the neuronal loss, which is the end stage of the pathogenic process. Amyloid is shown to be water-filled nanotubes made of polymerized pathologically-changed proteins. It is hypothesized that the water inside the new-formed nanotubes can manifest optical coherent laser-like excitations and superradiance similarly to the processes taking part in the normal brain microtubules as shown by Jibu et al. (1994). Interfering with the macroscopic quantum effects within the normal microtubules can lead to impairment of conscious experience. Experimental data in favor of quantum theory of consciousness can be obtained from the research of the amyloid nanotubes.