exchemist
Veteran Member
So there is: "A New Spin on the Quantum Brain". The opening section describes exactly the scepticism I have been referring to.heh. There's a Quantamagazine article re that in that list I see. Often they have fairly good reporting/writing.
Well good luck to this Fisher guy. Let's see if he can make his idea about the spin of phosophorus nuclei stand up. What I am not clear about is how changes in the spin state of the nuclei will affect the biochemistry of nerve cells. Generally the nuclear spin state has little effect on chemistry.
I suspect he's barking up the wrong tree by focusing on nuclear spin. I see the article rather airily dismisses the effect of the different mass of the 2 Li isotopes in the antidepressant drug. But in fact a difference in atomic mass will alter bond vibration frequencies and reaction rates, so I think it is a bit glib to dismiss the effects of atomic mass.
However his idea seems to be at least entertained by some decent chemists, so they may find a way to put it to the test.