Radical pairs may play a role in xenon-induced general anesthesia

TL;DR

This paper proposes that radical pairs influenced by xenon nuclear spin could explain the isotopic dependence of xenon-induced anesthesia, offering a new perspective on consciousness mechanisms.

Contribution

It introduces a radical-pair mechanism model to explain xenon anesthesia's isotopic effects, linking quantum biology to consciousness research.

Findings

Model reproduces isotopic dependence of xenon anesthetic potency in mice

Supports radical pairs with entangled spins as relevant for consciousness

Suggests quantum effects may influence anesthesia mechanisms

Abstract

Understanding the mechanisms underlying general anesthesia would be a key step towards understanding consciousness. The process of xenon-induced general anesthesia has been shown to involve electron transfer, and the potency of xenon as a general anesthetic exhibits isotopic dependence. We propose that these observations can be explained by a mechanism in which the xenon nuclear spin influences the recombination dynamics of a naturally occurring radical pair of electrons. We develop a simple model inspired by the body of work on the radical-pair mechanism in cryptochrome in the context of avian magnetoreception, and we show that our model can reproduce the observed isotopic dependence of the general anesthetic potency of xenon in mice. Our results are consistent with the idea that radical pairs of electrons with entangled spins could be important for consciousness.