Non-commutative structures of brain and cognition: quantum and contextual probability as a translational framework
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience July 17, 2026 Haruki Emori, Andrei Khrennikov, Atsushi Iriki
Cognitive neuroscience has accumulated robust findings that systematically resist explanation within classical probabilistic and causal frameworks, including order effects in judgment, multi-path motor preparation, perceptual binding, attentional selection, and the recursive construction of self and time. The authors argue these are signatures of a deeper, non-commutative architecture of cognition and brain dynamics. They propose quantum probability theory together with contextual probability theory as rigorous translational languages for cognitive processes, where observation actively transforms underlying state spaces. The framework suggests neural network dynamics are intrinsically organized to generate quantum-like representations, with structural primitives mapping onto specific brain activities. They outline a new sub-domain called Cognitive Structural Science and a research program combining human-macaque experiments with quantum-computer simulation.