New Theory Explains Puzzling Results in UK Brain Study
Miami, FL (PRWEB) July 29, 2013 -- Researchers in Oxford and London were surprised recently when a neuroscience experiment produced unexpected results.
Scientists at the Beckley Foundation and the Imperial College of London have been working at the frontiers of research to identify the effects of psychoactive substances on the brain and consciousness, and find potential therapeutic uses.
A recent Beckley-Imperial study used the latest neuroimaging technology to measure the effects of psychoactive compounds on brain activity. The findings were published in the British Journal of Psychiatry last year, and presented at a neuroscience conference in San Francisco in April, 2013.
To everyone’s surprise, the studies contradicted the long-held assumption that psychotropic compounds worked by raising activity in the brain. The results showed that, in fact, psychoactive drugs decreased brain activity. The experiment also found the subjects’ experiences of consciousness expansion increased proportionally as brain activity diminished.
Amanda Feilding, Director of the Beckley Foundation, stated: “Although the research comes up with the opposite results of what I had been expecting for the last forty years, I am very excited by it, as it not only gives us new insights into the nature of consciousness but also points the way to new treatments.”
So far, no hypothesis has been put forward to explain these unanticipated findings. However, a new theory provides the answers using a recently-developed mathematics of consciousness.
Abstract
The outcome of the British experiments can be predicted by two equations developed last year by Future Life Institute in Miami, Florida. These two formulas appear in the book Future Life Design by J.L. Mee, published by Future Life University Press in 2012. They are:
1. Law of Conservation of Awareness
Awareness has two forms: conscious and unconscious. A person’s awareness can change form, but its total amount remains constant. The measures of a person’s conscious and unconscious awareness are always reciprocals of one another; as one increases, the other diminishes (e.g., 10/90, 20/80, 30/70).
Expressed mathematically: C = ( n – U )
where:
C = consciousness value
n = a nominal constant, e.g., 100
U = unconsciousness value
2. First Law of Neurodynamics
This law explains and quantifies the dynamic interplay between awareness, neural networks and brainwave fields. Unconsciousness, brainwave fields and neurochemistry are dynamically interwoven in mental activity. A person’s level of unconsciousness increases in proportion to the voltage of their brainwave field, and diminishes in proportion to the electrical resistance of their neural network.
a) Voltage: Pure consciousness has no wavelength or physical location. The brain’s electromagnetic field arises out of unconsciousness. The brainwave field’s voltage increases in proportion to the magnitude of unconsciousness. Greater levels of unconsciousness cause higher brainwave voltage. Lower levels of unconsciousness cause lower brainwave voltage.
b) Resistance: Neurons have electrical resistance which impedes the flow of electrons and electromagnetic waves through the brain’s neural networks. As this resistance barrier rises, brainwaves flow more slowly. Higher resistance opposes the brainwave field and reduces unconsciousness. As resistance drops, electrons flow more easily. Lower resistance conducts brainwaves and increases unconsciousness.
Expressed mathematically: U = V / R
where:
U = unconsciousness value
V = voltage of brainwave field
R = resistance of neural network
Application
Using these equations, the Beckley– Imperial experiments can be explained as follows:
Why brain activity decreased:
1. Test subjects were administered psychoactive compounds, and neuroimaging was conducted using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
2. The fMRI data showed a reduction in blood flow in the brain.
3. Blood flow decreased because the subjects’ neurons were consuming less oxygen.
4. The neurons required less oxygen because they were burning less glucose.
5. The neurons burned less glucose because they were less active.
6. The neurons were less active because psychotropic compounds contain neurotransmitter inhibitors. These molecules bind to the receptor sites in the synapses which neurons use to transmit signals to one another. The bound molecules block the receptors, reducing the neuron’s ability to transmit ions and raising its electrical resistance R.
7. Higher synaptic resistance R slows down the electrical conversations between neurons, making them less active.
Why consciousness increased:
1. Per the First Law of Neurodynamics, higher neural resistance R reduces unconsciousness U. In other words, as R goes up, U goes down.
2. Per the Law of Conservation of Awareness, consciousness C is the reciprocal of unconsciousness U. In other words, as U falls, C rises.
3. Therefore consciousness expands proportionally as brain activity decreases.
Conclusion
The Law of Conservation of Awareness and the First Law of Neurodynamics explain the dynamic interplay between neurochemistry, brainwave fields and consciousness. The greater understanding they provide can be applied to advance the frontiers of science in many fields. For more information, contact Future Life Institute, or visit the Research section at FutureLives.org.
Copyright © 2011–2013 Future Life Institute
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Rita Mee, Future Life Institute, http://FutureLives.org, +1 (888) 279-1392 701, [email protected]
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