the theory of dualist interactionism was proposed by the nobel-prize winning neurophysiologist sir john eccles in association with the philosopher karl popper. their theory explained how a non-physical mind can influence a physical body, how an immaterial mind can influence in a causal sense a material neural synaptic network.

eccles sought to locate a precise physical interface where the immaterial mind could exert top-down control over neural architecture without violating the laws of thermodynamics.

pyramidal cells are the primary excitatory neurons found in the mammalian cerebral cortex. they act as the principal “output” channels of the cortex. pyramidal cells feature a long, prominent branch called the apical dendrite that travels toward the outermost layer of the cortex, layer 1, where it branches out into an apical dendritic tuft. the apical dendrites cluster tightly in bundles of about 70-100, constituting a pyramidal module. eccles considered the module as the fundamental functional unit of the cortex. he hypothesized that the immaterial mind generates non-material units, or wave forms, with specific amplitudes and frequencies corresponding to the wave forms of a synchronous, module referred to as a “detector.” when one has an intention, thought or desire these wave forms act to stimulate encoded action potentials that transmit complex specified information with anticipated outcomes or actions through modular dendrites, somata and axons.

eccles proposed that the mind’s intention does not forcefully “fire” a neuron. instead, the immaterial mind’s wave forms subtly alter the quantum probability of neurotransmitter release (exocytosis) at the vesicular level in the synapses of the apical tufts. he and physicist friedrich beck proposed that mental intention triggers a quantum tunneling effect which slightly alters the probability of a single synaptic vesicle to release its neurotransmitters across the synapse to an apical dendrite, stimulating thereby an action potential in the receptor neuron. this process uses quantum indeterminacy so that the law of thermodynamics is not violated.

in my books and blog posts i have discussed this process in great detail. with the aid of AI i have identified a precise locus in cerebral modules where the causal effects of an immaterial mind act on synaptic networks. this is a rapidly developing area of investigation in the neurosciences, reflecting the technological advances being made to reveal the mechanisms of dual interaction.

in my next blog post i shall refer to the concepts of sir john c. eccles that describe dualist interactionism. we shall see the importance he gave to apical dendritic tufts. i am highlighting this information for the following reason. in my books and blogs i have endeavored to present compelling evidence for dual interaction between the immaterial minds of man and god/his holy spirit as mediated by the neural synaptic networks of the human brain. i have also identified the role of wave forms in the transmission of encoded information within action potentials through neural synapses triggered by quantum tunneling. in these most current blogs i am sharing evidence for where the wave forms of cognition and intent first interact in the brain, a dual interaction. in previous blog posts i have described how, at least in part, the transmission of wave forms occurs across neural synapses. it is a complex and elaborate process created by god to enable personal communion not only between humans but also with the holy spirit. since the creation of man god has intended to have personal bidirectional communion with us.

my response continued:

“cognitive intention - such as top-down attention, or goal-directed imagery - initially stimulates the apical dendritic tufts of pyramidal cells. in the structural hierarchy of the cerebral cortex, these apical tufts terminate in layer 1. . . they function as the primary target for feedback (top-down) signals coming from higher-order cognitive, associative, and motor cortical regions. . . . apical dendritic tufts (top-down): receive feedback representing internal states, including cognitive intentions, behavioral context, predictions, and focused attention. . . . in short, your brain uses the apical dendritic tufts as an entry point for your thoughts, intentions, and focus to actively shape how you perceive and process the physical world. . . . the detector function of cortical pyramidal modules and the integrative properties of apical dendritic tufts are fully compatible, forming a cooperative two-stage computational unit that bridges local processing with global context. . . . pyramidal modules coordinate columns by aligning their superficial tufts within layer 1, allowing synchronous top-down modulatory streams to modulate entire assemblies of vertically stacked cell columns simultaneously.”

i asked if dendritic tufts of level 1 pyramidal cells interact with wave forms generated by the cognitive mind, and the strong answer i received (via AI analysis) was “yes.” it was stated that “these delicate, tree-like structures at the top of pyramidal neurons [in the superficial layer of the brain] serve as “the main cellular engine driving and interpreting those waves.” the analysis went on to state, “instead of being passive wires, apical dendritic tufts act as ‘coincidence detectors’ and rhythmic filters. they continuously match top-down cognitive context (expectations, memory, attention) with bottom-up sensory wave forms.”

(more to come)

the following discussion outlines how the brain processes top-down attention and context, drawn from the national institutes of health (NIH). i have presented information in previous blogs that suggest that cortical pyramidal tracts, or columns, may serve as “detectors” of incoming top-down encoded waves generated by the immaterial cognitive mind. it is a most complex process that will be discussed in part in the following material:

pyramidal neurons (the primary computational units of the cerebral cortex) extend long dendrites straight up into layer 1, the most superficial layer of the brain. these ends branch out into “apical tufts.” layer 1 does not primarily receive raw sensory data (which enters at lower levels). Instead, it receives long-range feedback, expectation, and contextual data from other brain regions. when feedback hits these apical tufts simultaneously with raw sensory data hitting the base of the cell, it triggers a massive electrical event (a dendritic calcium spike). this “amplifies” the signal, which many neuroscientists believe is the literal cellular mechanism that brings a stimulus into conscious awareness.

if viewed through the lens of dualism (the philosophy that the mind and body are distinct, separate substances), a mechanism is described for how an immaterial entity interacts with physical matter. i have posted blogs that describe the “microsite hypothesis” of john eccles by which the immaterial mind exerts a quantum mechanical “trigger” that alters the probability of neurotransmitter release at synapses. eccles pointed directly to the synaptic networks of layer 1 as the precise interface where the psyche interacts with the brain. the neural networks of the pyramidal columns sit in a receptive, unbiased state of frequency equilibria until a synchronous wave frequency of mental intent biases their activation, shifting options into physical action of perception.

categorizing this interaction as “level 1 personal” suggests a framework of subjective hierarchy. it implies the initial, fundamental boundary where a raw, unconditioned subjective observer (“the person”) translates intent into the very first tier of physiological manifestation. by interacting at the top of the dendritic tree (the apical tufts), the mind wouldn’t need to force individual neurons to fire blindly. instead, it gently shifts the context or resonance of the network, guiding existing neural patterns rather than overriding them forcefully.

i have posted these discussions based on AI-drived data from the NIH to confirm interaction between the immaterial cognitive mind and the neural networks of the pyramidal columns of the cerebral cortex. it shows how intent initially interacts with the apical dendritic tufts of level 1 pyramidal cells, giving confirmation to aspects of eccles’ microsite hypothesis that describe pyramidal columns of the neocortex as “detectors” that are matched with synchronous top-down wave frequencies to effect actions and perceptions. complex indeed, showing the majesty and power of the biblical god who created the human mind and brain for communion with the holy spirit through the neural synaptic networks.

My research continues, and i shall be posting findings especially concerning dual interaction between the immaterial mind and material components of the human brain. recent articles i have reviewed consider activity of apical dendrites of level one pyramidal cells of the neocortex and their potential interaction with the cognitive mind.

i am concluding this series of posts referencing dallas willard’s work with excerpts that speak to the human spirit. it is lengthy and highly informative.

“i am a spiritual being who currently has a physical body. i occupy my body and its environs by my consciousness of it and by my capacity to will and to act with and through it. i occupy my body and its proximate space, but i am not localizable in it or around it. you cannot find me or any of my thoughts, feelings, or character traits in any part of my body. even i cannot. if you wish to find me, the last thing you should do is open my body to take a look. . . . the very unity of experiences that constitutes a human self cannot be located at any point in or around this body through which we live, not even in the brain. yet i am present as agent or cAUSAL INFLUENCE WITH AND ABOUT MY BODY AND ITS FEATURES AND MOVEMENTS. IN TURN, WHAT MY BODY UNDERGOES AND PROVIDES INFLUENCES MY LIFE AS A PERSONAL BEING [THESE DESCRIPTIONS ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF DUALIST INTERACTIONISM BETWEEN THE IMMATERIAL COMPONENTS OF THE SPIRIT AND SOUL OF HUMANS, AND OF GOD, AND THE MATERIAL COMPONENTS OF THE NEURAL SYNAPTIC NETWORKS OF THE HUMAN BRAIN AND BODY WITH COMMENTS ON THE CAUSAL EFFECTS OF THE IMMATERIAL ON THE MATERIAL]. . . . ‘SPIRITUAL’ IS NOT JUST SOMETHING WE OUGHT TO BE. IT IS SOMETHING WE ARE AND CANNOT ESCAPE, REGARDLESS OF HOW WE MAY THINK OR FEEL ABOUT IT. IT IS OUR NATURE AND OUR DESTINY. . . . IN FINDING THE SPIRITUAL NOT TO BE PHYSICAL WE DO NOT MEAN TO DENY THAT IT HAS POWER OR ENERGY. IT MOST CERTAINLY DOES. AND THIS IS A MAJOR POINT FOR THE POSITIVE CHARACTERIZATION OF THE SPIRITUAL. SPIRIT IS A FORM OF ENERGY, FOR IT DOES WORK, AND WHATEVER DOES WORK HAS POWER. IN THE BIBLICAL VIEW IT IS, OF COURSE, THE ULTIMATE FORM OF POWER ON WHICH ALL OTHER FORMS REST. . . . BECAUSE WE ARE SPIRITUAL BEINGS, AS JUST EXPLAINED, IT IS FOR OUR GOOD, INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY, TO LIVE OUR LIVES IN INTERACTIVE [ITALICS ADDED] DEPENDENCE UPON GOD AND UNDER HIS KINGDOM RULE. . . . THUS PAUL, FROM HIS PROFOUND GRASP OF HUMAN EXISTENCE, COUNSELS US, ‘TO FILL YOUR MIND WITH THE VISIBLE, THE ‘FLESH,’ IS DEATH, BUT TO FILL YOUR MIND WITH THE SPIRIT [GUIDED BY THE INDWELLING SPIRIT OF JESUS] IS LIFE AND PEACE’ (ROM. 8:6).” WE ARE WITHIN THE KINGDOM OF GOD, BOTH NOW IN THE PRESENT AND IN THE AGE TO COME. “JESUS SAID, ‘GOD IS NOT THE GOD OF THE DEAD BUT OF THE LIVING’ (LUKE 20:38). HIS MEANING WAS THAT THOSE WHO LOVE AND ARE LOVED BY GOD ARE NOT ALLOWED TO CEASE TO EXIST, BECAUSE THEY ARE GOD’S TREASURES. HE DELIGHTS IN THEM AND INTENDS TO HOLD ONTO THEM. HE HAS EVEN PREPARED FOR THEM AN INDIVIDUALIZED ETERNAL WORK IN [HIS NEW CREATION].”

i am posting an excerpt from Willard’s book that contrasts the life of death versus the living kingdom of god to which we are called:

“. . . the souls of human beings are left to shrivel and die on the plains of life because they are not introduced into the environment for which they were made, the living kingdom of eternal life. to counteract this we must develop a straightforward presentation, in word and life, of the reality of life now under god’s rule, through reliance upon the word and person of jesus. in this way we can naturally become his students or apprentices. we can learn from him how to live our lives as he would live them if he were we. we can enter his eternal kind of life now [Italics added]. . . . it is universally agreed by new testament scholars that the central theme of the teaching of jesus was the kingdom of god. . . . to be born ‘from above,’ in new testament language, means to be interactively [italics added] joined with a dynamic, unseen system of divine reality in the midst of which all of humanity moves about . . . that, of course, is ‘the kingdom among us..”

in my books and blog posts i have presented compelling evidence for dualist, bidirectional interaction between the immaterial mind of man and of god and the material components of the neural synaptic networks, making possible the personal communion between ourselves and god. dallas willard speaks to this relationship:

“the issue, so far as the gospel . . . is concerned, is whether we are alive to god or dead to him. do we walk in an interactive relationship [Italics added] with him that constitutes a new kind of life, life ‘from above’? as the apostle john says in his first letter, ‘god has given undying life to us, and that life is in his son. those who have the son have life’ (1 john 5:11-12). . . . accordingly, the only description of eternal life found in the words we have from jesus is ‘this is eternal life, that they [his disciples] may know you, the only real god, and jesus the anointed, whom you have sent’ (john 17:3). this may sound to us like ‘mere head knowledge.’ but the biblical ‘know’ always refers to an intimate, personal, interactive relationship. . . . the eternal life of which jesus speaks is not knowledge about god but an intimately interactive relationship with him.”

Willard continues, “the apostle paul on one occasion describes it simply as ‘righteousness and peace and joy’ of a type that only occurs ‘through the energizing of the holy spirit’ (rom. 14:17).” . . . it is, as jesus said, constantly in the midst of human life (luke 17:21; cf. Deut. 7:21). indeed, it means that it is more real and more present than any human arrangement could ever possibly be.”