Why Time Stops Under Anesthesia
As anyone who’s experienced anesthesia knows, something very strange happens while we are ‘under’.
We lose all sense of time.
This isn’t just a blackout in which we’re unable to remember what happened during some unquantifiable expanse of time. Not even close.
One moment we are being told by the doctors that they are initiating anesthesia, and the next we wake-up on a bed in the post-op.
It feels like the blink of an eye.
While traditional medical science offers a generalist explanation for this phenomenon, there is a growing — though still outsider — consensus that the effect of anesthesia on the brain holds clues to the nature of consciousness and how it generates our experience in spacetime.
As we’ll discover, this has profound implications for our rapidly evolving understanding of the true mechanics of ‘reality’.
I’ve engaged my AI to briefly summarize the conventional explanation of how anesthesia affects our brain —and then introduce the paradigm-shattering Orch-OR theory, developed by anesthesiologist Stuart Hameroff and Nobel-prize winning physicist Roger Penrose.
Standard Explanation of Anesthesia and Time
Standard medical science explains the effects of anesthesia on our sense of time through established neurological mechanisms:
How Anesthesia Works
- Brain Network Disruption: Anesthetics primarily work by disrupting the signals in various networks of the brain that normally keep us conscious and aware. These include the cerebral cortex (which processes complex information), the thalamus (which relays sensory and motor signals), and the reticular activating system (which regulates wakefulness and sleep-wake transitions).
- Neurotransmitter Interference: Anesthetics interfere with neurotransmitters, which are the chemical messengers in the brain. They enhance the effects of inhibitory neurotransmitters like gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). GABA slows down brain activity, leading to the loss of consciousness. Conversely, anesthetics inhibit the action of excitatory neurotransmitters that would normally keep us alert and awake.
Impact on Time Perception
- Consciousness Interruption: Under anesthesia, the normal flow of sensory information and the brain’s ability to process it are interrupted. Since our perception of time is closely tied to the continuous stream of sensory inputs and our conscious processing of these inputs, anesthesia effectively ‘disconnects’ us from experiencing time.
- Memory Effects: Anesthetics also affect the parts of the brain involved in memory formation and retrieval. Without the ability to form new memories, there’s no continuity to anchor the passing of time, contributing further to the sensation that no time has passed once a person wakes up.
In Summary
While under anesthesia, the brain’s normal functioning in terms of consciousness, sensory processing, and memory is heavily altered. This disruption leads to the loss of the usual perception of time passing, as well as a lack of awareness and memory formation. This is why people often feel like no time has passed when they wake up after surgery; they simply have no memory of the time they were under anesthesia.
Penrose-Hameroff Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch-OR) Theory
The Orch-OR theory provides a radical perspective on anesthesia and how it affects a specific component of our brain cells called microtubules.
As we will learn, Orch-OR introduces a novel take on the nature of consciousness, blending elements of quantum physics with neurobiology.
More fundamentally, it challenges the conventional views of both consciousness and quantum mechanics, proposing that the deep structure of the universe is not only the backdrop for physical phenomena but also for conscious experiences. Before we dive in, I want to quickly summarize (via ChatGPT) what we mean by ‘consciousness’. It’s such an over-used term and if you are already familiar, just skip to the next section:
What is ‘consciousness’?
Consciousness is a term that refers to our awareness of ourselves and the world around us. It includes our thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and memories. Essentially, consciousness is what allows us to experience life. It’s what you’re using right now to read and understand these words, to think about what they mean, and to be aware of your surroundings.
More specifically:
- Awareness: At its core, consciousness is about being aware. If you’re conscious, you know you exist and can interact with things around you. You can see the light, hear sounds, feel your phone in your hand, and taste your food.
- Self-Awareness: Consciousness also involves a deeper level of awareness — self-awareness. This means you are not only aware of these elements but also of your own thoughts and emotions. You can think about your future, remember your past, and reflect on your own feelings.
- Responsiveness: Being conscious means you can react to the changes in your environment. If someone calls your name, you respond. If you touch something hot, you quickly pull away. This responsiveness is a part of what it means to be conscious.
- Subjective Experience: Finally, consciousness is deeply personal and subjective. Everyone experiences consciousness differently. Your conscious experience of watching a sunset or listening to music is unique to you and is shaped by your own perceptions and life experiences.
Now back to the theory!
The Basic Idea of Orch-OR
Think of your brain as an incredibly advanced quantum computer that has features and processes that far surpass those of a standard computer. Within this quantum system are tiny structures called microtubules, akin to the computer’s processors. According to Penrose, a physicist, and Hameroff, an anesthesiologist, these microtubules are capable of quantum computations — that is, they can handle information in exceptionally fast and complex ways that far surpass what we see in traditional computers.
How Orch-OR Explains Consciousness
Orch-OR posits that consciousness arises from these quantum processes within the microtubules in our brain cells. These microtubules, found in the cytoskeleton of cells, are posited as the seat of quantum computations that lead to conscious awareness. The theory suggests that our conscious moments come from events called “objective reductions” (OR), which occur when quantum states in the microtubules reach a threshold of instability and collapse. This collapse isn’t due to an observer, as typically thought in quantum mechanics, but occurs spontaneously and is influenced by gravitational forces.
Why Time Stops Under Anesthesia
Anesthesia works by disrupting the normal activity in our brains, but according to Orch-OR, it specifically disrupts the quantum processes in the microtubules. Since these processes might be integral to our consciousness and our perception of time, disrupting them makes us lose our sense of time and awareness. Essentially, if these quantum processes are paused or altered, our conscious experience ‘pauses,’ and thus we have no perception of time passing while under anesthesia.
Orch-OR and the Nature of Spacetime
This theory could have profound implications for our understanding of physics, potentially bridging quantum mechanics with general relativity, and altering our understanding of spacetime and consciousness. If Orch-OR is correct, it could mean that consciousness plays a direct role in the nature and behavior of the physical universe.
Penrose suggests that this objective reduction is connected to the fundamental structure of spacetime itself. In his view, each OR event that happens in the brain’s microtubules might be a fundamental process where consciousness connects with the geometry of spacetime. This leads to a model where consciousness is not merely a byproduct of brain processes but is instead linked to the universe’s very fabric.
Implications
If Orch-OR is accurate, it suggests that spacetime itself might be the “terrain” where consciousness “inhabits” or interacts with physical reality.
This interaction is facilitated by the biological processes in the microtubules. In this sense, consciousness could be seen as a state emerging from the brain’s physical structure interacting with the deeper cosmological order, rather than being purely generated by the brain independently of the universe.
This offers a radically different perspective from traditional views in neuroscience and physics, suggesting a deep, possibly fundamental connection between living beings and the cosmos.
In Summary
Penrose and Hameroff suggest our brains contain quantum computers (microtubules) that contribute to consciousness. While Orch-OR remains highly speculative and is viewed skeptically by many in the scientific community, it opens up the possibility that our consciousness is not just a byproduct of brain activity but a fundamental aspect of the universe.
The implication is that by modifying these microtubules, perhaps through drugs or technologies like ultrasound, we might be able to enhance our brain’s capabilities. Meanwhile, anesthesia shows us just how crucial these processes are, as interfering with them can completely alter our sense of reality and time.
[Dedicated to Stuart Hameroff, who retired this month after 49 years in anesthesiology. Shine on you crazy diamond.]
Here are some less technical pieces that elaborate the developing theory on the nature of our terrestrial spacetime reality:
