title: Is the brain a quantum computer?
abstract: We argue that computation via quantum mechanical processes is irrelevant to explaining how brains produce thought, contrary to the ongoing speculations of many theorists. First, quantum effects do not have the temporal properties required for neural information processing. Second, there are substantial physical obstacles to any organic instantiation of quantum computation. Third, there is no psychological evidence that such mental phenomena as consciousness and mathematical thinking require explanation via quantum theory. We conclude that understanding brain function is unlikely to require quantum computation or similar mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: School of Computer Science, University of WaterlooDepartment of Philosophy, University of WaterlooDepartment of Systems Design Engineering, University of WaterlooDepartment of Physics, University of WaterlooDepartment of Psychology, University of Waterloo.
authors.forename: Abninder
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Litt
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Eliasmith
authors.forename: Frederick W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Kroon
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Weinstein
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Thagard