The quantum physics of synaptic communication via the SNARE protein complex
| Autor: | James F. Glazebrook, Danko Georgiev |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: |
Neurons
0301 basic medicine Physics Neurotransmitter Agents Biophysics Cell Communication Synaptic vesicle Exocytosis Davydov soliton 03 medical and health sciences chemistry.chemical_compound 030104 developmental biology chemistry Postsynaptic potential Synapses Quasiparticle Animals Humans Quantum Theory SNARE Proteins Neurotransmitter Molecular Biology Neuroscience Quantum Quantum tunnelling |
| Zdroj: | Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology. 135:16-29 |
| ISSN: | 0079-6107 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2018.01.006 |
| Popis: | Twenty five years ago, Sir John Carew Eccles together with Friedrich Beck proposed a quantum mechanical model of neurotransmitter release at synapses in the human cerebral cortex. The model endorsed causal influence of human consciousness upon the functioning of synapses in the brain through quantum tunneling of unidentified quasiparticles that trigger the exocytosis of synaptic vesicles, thereby initiating the transmission of information from the presynaptic towards the postsynaptic neuron. Here, we provide a molecular upgrade of the Beck and Eccles model by identifying the quantum quasiparticles as Davydov solitons that twist the protein α-helices and trigger exocytosis of synaptic vesicles through helical zipping of the SNARE protein complex. We also calculate the observable probabilities for exocytosis based on the mass of this quasiparticle, along with the characteristics of the potential energy barrier through which tunneling is necessary. We further review the current experimental evidence in support of this novel bio-molecular model as presented. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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