Plain English Summary
What if consciousness isn't just neurons firing -- but the electromagnetic field they create together? That's the bold claim of the CEMI field theory, and this paper argues the evidence has finally caught up. When the idea was first floated around 2002, nobody had proof that the brain's own EM fields actually did anything to neurons. Since then, three studies changed the game: researchers showed that weak electric fields (we're talking a quarter of a millivolt per millimeter) can entrain brain waves, and that neurons naturally lock into synchronized firing through their shared fields. This creates a feedback loop -- neurons generate coherent EM fields, which recruit even more neurons into lockstep. The theory elegantly solves the 'binding problem' (how the brain stitches separate perceptions into one unified experience). It's also caught the attention of psi researchers, since some models of anomalous cognition invoke EM field mechanisms. The main knock against it? It still lacks unique predictions that would clearly distinguish it from competing theories of consciousness.
Actual Paper Abstract
Several theories of consciousness first described about a decade ago, including the conscious electromagnetic information (CEMI) field theory, claimed that the substrate of consciousness is the brain's electromagnetic (EM) field. These theories were prompted by the observation, in many diverse systems, that synchronous neuronal firing, which generates coherent EM fields, was a strong correlate of attention, awareness, and consciousness. However, when these theories were first described there was no direct evidence that synchronous firing was actually functional, rather than an epiphenomenon of brain function. Additionally, any EM field-based consciousness would be a 'ghost in the machine' unless the brain's endogenous EM field is also able to influence neuron firing. Once again, when these theories were first described, there was only indirect evidence that the brain's EM field influenced neuron firing patterns in the brain. In this paper I describe recent experimental evidence which demonstrate that synchronous neuronal firing does indeed have a functional role in the brain; and also that the brain's endogenous EM field is involved in recruiting neurons to synchronously firing networks. The new data point to a new and unappreciated form of neural communication in the brain that is likely to have significance for all theories of consciousness. I describe an extension of the CEMI field theory that incorporates these recent experimental findings and integrates the theory with the 'communication through coherence' hypothesis.
Research Notes
Updates and strengthens the CEMI field theory first proposed in McFadden (2002). Complements the library's other consciousness framework papers (Orch OR, IIT). Relevant to psi research because some anomalous cognition models invoke EM field mechanisms. The theory's key strength is solving the binding problem; its key weakness is lack of discriminating empirical predictions.
Synchronous neuronal firing is the strongest known correlate of attention, awareness, and consciousness, yet when EM field theories of consciousness were first proposed around 2002 there was no direct evidence that synchrony was functional or that endogenous EM fields influenced neuron firing. Three key studies have since closed that evidential gap: Fujisawa et al. (2004) showed externally applied 40 Hz fields modulate hippocampal neuron firing; Frohlich & McCormick (2010) demonstrated that endogenous fields as weak as 0.25 mV/mm entrain neocortical oscillations; and Anastassiou et al. (2011) proved ephaptic coupling causes phase-locked synchronous firing. Together these establish a feedback loop — neurons generate coherent EM fields that in turn recruit more neurons into synchrony — supporting the CEMI field theory's claim that the brain's EM field is the physical substrate of consciousness.
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📋 Cite this paper
McFadden, Johnjoe (2013). The CEMI Field Theory: Closing the Loop. Journal of Consciousness Studies.
@article{mcfadden_2012_cemi_field,
title = {The CEMI Field Theory: Closing the Loop},
author = {McFadden, Johnjoe},
year = {2013},
journal = {Journal of Consciousness Studies},
}