Do Anesthetics Act by Altering Electron Mobility?
Abstract
Received from the Department of Anesthesiology, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson, Arizona 85724. Address correspondence to Dr. Hameroff. Presented in part at the 1981 meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists and at the 1983 meeting of the Association of University Anesthetists. The authors are grateful to Drs. James D. Borel, George Carlson, Steve Alejandro, Kenneth Mylrea, Jerry M. Calkins, as well as Brian Lemay, Shirley Glanzberg, Lea Fournier, and Terry Decker. Accepted for publication April 26, 1983.
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Anaesthetics bind to a number of membrane and cytoplasmic proteins.
“Anaesthetics bind to a number of membrane and cytoplasmic proteins [76][77][78]”
From Quantum effects in the brain: A review (2020) · cites this paper as [78]
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Hameroff, S., & Penrose, R. (2014) · Physics of Life Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.plrev.2013.08.002 · Cited by 983 · see citing works
Self-citationQuantum computation in brain microtubules? The Penrose–Hameroff ‘Orch OR‘ model of consciousness
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Self-citation(1994) · Journal of Consciousness Studies · Cited by 216 · see citing works
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“Evidence shows that anesthetics retard electron mobility— the movement of free electrons in a corona discharge is inhibited by anesthetics (Hameroff and Watt, 1983).”
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Hameroff, S. R. (2006) · Anesthesiology · doi:10.1097/00000542-200608000-00024 · Cited by 129 · see citing works
“In the 1980s, effects of anesthetics (and other gases) on electron mobility were studied in a corona discharge chamber in which electrons were liberated and their mobility/flow was quantified.(88,89) In the experiments, gas flowed through the corona discharge chamber.”
BackgroundSelf-citation(1995) · Journal of Consciousness Studies · Cited by 111 · see citing works
Self-citationAnesthetics Act in Quantum Channels in Brain Microtubules to Prevent Consciousness
Craddock, T. J. A., Hameroff, S. R., T. Ayoub, A., Klobukowski, M., & Tuszynski, J. A. (2015) · Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry · doi:10.2174/1568026615666150225104543 · Cited by 85 · see citing works
“Evidence shows that anesthetics slow the movement of free electrons in a corona discharge [18].”
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Adams, B., & Petruccione, F. (2020) · AVS Quantum Science · doi:10.1116/1.5135170 · Cited by 80 · see citing works
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Craddock, T. J. A., Priel, A., & Tuszynski, J. A. (2014) · Journal of Integrative Neuroscience · doi:10.1142/s0219635214400019 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Hameroff, S. R., & Penrose, R. (2013) · Physics of Life Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.plrev.2013.11.014 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
“For example microtubule electron dipoles may induce longer-lived nuclear spin states for short-term memory.”
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“Hameroff has suggested that quantum computation within the microtubules could be involved in consciousness, and proposes the activity of general anesthetics as support for this claim (Hameroff and Watt, 1983; Hameroff, 1998).”
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Molecular orbitals of delocalized electron clouds in neuronal domains
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Self-citationThe quantum-classical complexity of consciousness and orchestrated objective reduction
Sergi, A., MESSINA, A., Martino, G., Caccamo, M. T., Magazù, S., Ruffini, G., Kuo, M., & Nitsche, M. A. (2025) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2025.1630906 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“While axonal microtubules are uniformly oriented and continuous, dendrites and the soma contain short, discontinuous segments arranged in mixed-polarity networks (Hameroff and Watt, 1983; Hameroff, 1998; Craddock et al., 2015, 2017; Jibu et al., 1994).”
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Hameroff, S. R., Koruga, D. L., Simić-Krstić, J., Trifunovic, M., & Voelker, M. A. (1994) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4757-9322-2_5
Self-citationCan Science `explain' Consciousness ?Preprint
Samal, M. K. (2000) · arXiv (Cornell University) · doi:10.48550/arxiv.physics/0002045
“in swiching off the consciousness, not only in higher animals such as mammals or birds but also in paramecium, amoeba, or even green slime mould has been advocated [10] to be providing a direct evidence that the phenomenon of consciousness is related to the action of the cytoskeleton and to microtubles.”
BackgroundJibu, M., Yamada, T., Yasue, K., & Hirakawa, M. (1998) · Journal of Anesthesia · doi:10.1007/bf02480774
“The present experimental study may support the validity of a new unitary mechanism for anesthesia in terms of a common mechanism of electron mobility within hydrophobic regions [ 7 ].”
BackgroundResult
- Authors
- Hameroff, S. R., & Watt, R. C.
- Affiliations
- University of Arizona (US)
- Corresponding author
- Hameroff, Stuart R.
- ORCID
- Hameroff, Stuart R.
- Venue
- Anesthesia & Analgesia
- Published
- 1983-10
- Volume
- 62
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 936???940
- ISSN
- 0003-2999 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2015338525
- Cited by
- 26
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2025: 2 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 1 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 2
- FWCI
- 0.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Anesthesia & Analgesia (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine › Anesthesia and Sedative Agents
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Developmental Neuroscience › Anesthesia and Neurotoxicity Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Biomedical and Chemical Research
- Keywords
- anesthetic agents, electron mobility, anesthetic mechanisms, anesthetic binding sites
- MeSH terms
- Anesthesia, General, Anesthesia, Inhalation, Anesthetics, Electricity, Electron Transport, Models, Neurological, Oscillometry
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