Quantum-Like Dynamics in Whole-Brain Models of the Human Connectome

Emerging research provides evidence for quantum-like (QL) probability laws, including interference effects, in non-quantum physical systems using coupled oscillators. In principle, such systems could produce QL states able to support QL computation in biological tissue. In this perspective, we propose a new avenue of research, namely to investigate if this is true in the human brain. Intriguingly, the special topology of human brain anatomy could promote the rich dynamical repertoire in human cognition. As a proof-of-principle, we investigated this by constructing two whole-brain models with and without QL dynamics, where the QL regime is distinguished by a larger whole-brain spectral gap. In accordance with our hypothesis, we found that the QL regime provides a significantly better fit to large-scale human empirical neuroimaging data and exhibits a lower model-derived energy cost than the non-QL model. Furthermore, we constructed a whole-brain model measuring the Växjö Interference term, a measure of functional quantum-like interference showing a significant correlation with the size of the spectral gap. Overall, these results suggest that quantum-like whole-brain models may provide a useful description of large-scale resting-state brain dynamics, and we set out what would be required to test whether this description also carries explanatory value for brain function.