The Tang School, Spark School, and Electromagnetic Wave WiFi School——The Triple Pattern of Neural Information Transmission and Its Implications for Consciousness

Sun Zuodong

Over more than a century, modern neuroscience has gradually formed two dominant paradigms: the Tang School, centered on chemical synaptic transmission, and the Spark School, focused on the wired conduction of action potentials along nerve fibers. These two schools have long governed the theoretical interpretation and teaching system of neural information transmission mechanisms. While they can reasonably explain basic human physiological regulation, somatic perception, and motor conduction, they are inherently constrained by their own conduction principles and physical forms. They have never been able to resolve core paradoxes such as mismatched neural response speeds, difficulties in global synchronization across brain regions, and the lack of a reasonable explanation for the origin of consciousness.

This paper systematically reviews the academic origins, theoretical contributions, and inherent shortcomings of the Tang School and the Spark School. Based on the steady-state "Iron Triangle" model of neurons—with a resting potential of -60mV, threshold potential of -40mV, and peak potential of +40mV—it proposes the Electromagnetic Wave WiFi School. This theory holds that neurons can independently oscillate rhythmically, excite biological electromagnetic waves, and achieve wireless global interconnection via field coupling. It establishes a new three-tier neural information transmission framework: Tang School – Spark School – WiFi School, featuring coexistence at three levels, hierarchical collaboration, and low-dimensional support for high-dimensional activities.

On the basis of this theoretical framework, grounded in field theory and information theory, the paper rationally deduces the electromagnetic information field nature of consciousness and the soul. It provides a logically scientific perspective to interpret ultimate life propositions such as reincarnation and immortality, aiming to offer a novel theoretical reference for neurophysiology, philosophy of consciousness, and interdisciplinary life science research.

I. Tracing the Academic Background

After a century of evolution, research on neuronal information transmission mechanisms has naturally settled into two classic academic schools, which are included in various textbooks and serve as the mainstream theoretical foundation for basic scientific research, clinical neurology, and physiological mechanism studies.

The Tang School is an academic system with chemical synaptic transmission via neurotransmitters as its core. Its theoretical foundation lies in the classic chain reaction: neurotransmitter release from the presynaptic membrane, molecular diffusion across the synaptic cleft, and specific binding to receptors on the postsynaptic membrane, forming a complete logical chain of gradual relay transmission of chemical signals. Figuratively, it is like people passing information hand to hand sequentially through relay.

The Tang School has made remarkable historical contributions. It clearly elucidates the internal mechanisms of low-speed physiological activities such as visceral function regulation, basic body metabolism, and simple spinal reflexes, laying an important theoretical cornerstone for modern neurohumoral regulation. However, chemical molecular diffusion, neurotransmitter binding, ion channel opening and closing, and neurotransmitter inactivation entail unavoidable time delays. Belonging to a second-level slow transmission mode by nature, it is inherently suited for slow basic physiological processes but cannot support millisecond or ultra-short-term high-level neural activities such as instantaneous stress responses, abrupt mental shifts, and global synchronous linkage across brain regions—hitting an unbreakable theoretical ceiling.

The Spark School adopts a theoretical paradigm centered on the wired conduction of action potentials along nerve axons. Using nerve fibers as fixed physical transmission pathways, it relies on the passive and active flow of sodium, potassium and other ions across cell membranes to generate action potentials that propagate over long distances along axons, enabling point-to-point, dedicated directional transmission of electrical signals—much like traditional landline telephones transmitting information via fixed dedicated lines.

The classic theoretical basis of this school stems from Hodgkin-Huxley's electrophysiological research on the giant squid axon. Its core model accurately describes the opening and closing rules of ion channels on the axon membrane and the generation mechanism of action potentials. For myelinated axons, the high-impedance insulating structure formed by myelin sheaths forces current to conduct saltatorially between nodes of Ranvier, greatly improving transmission speed. Nevertheless, it still remains confined to the framework of "electrical signal dedicated transmission within fixed anatomical pathways".

Compared with the chemical transmission of the Tang School, the Spark School achieves much higher conduction speed and can reasonably explain concrete physiological behaviors such as voluntary somatic movement and directional transmission of peripheral sensory signals. Yet constrained by fixed neural pathways, its transmission paths are closed, circuits isolated, and transmission point-to-point and isolated. It lacks the capacity for global resonance and free linkage across brain regions and neural circuits, only enabling information flow within established anatomical loops. It cannot explain high-level conscious phenomena such as divergent thinking, subconscious resonance, sudden emergence of inspiration, and global integration of consciousness.

For a long time, academic research has been trapped in the dual framework of the Tang School and the Spark School. Scholars habitually attempt to explain all neural activities, logical thinking, self-awareness and even advanced life mysteries solely through "chemical relay transmission + wired electrical signal transmission". This has left three long-standing theoretical dilemmas: the paradox of mismatched transmission speed, the paradox of desynchronized global brain activity, and the paradox of no carrier for the essence of consciousness.

Against this academic backdrop and theoretical gaps, combined with the physiological operating characteristics of neuronal membrane potentials and taking the steady-state Iron Triangle of -60/-40/+40mV membrane potentials as the basis, this paper proposes that neurons excite stable biological electromagnetic waves through rhythmic ion fluctuations. Relying on the co-frequency coupling and phase synchronization of electromagnetic fields, they realize medium-free, wireless remote interconnection—thus founding the Electromagnetic Wave WiFi School. It compensates for the inherent theoretical flaws of the two traditional schools and formally establishes a new three-tier system of neural information transmission.

II. Coexistence of the Three Schools: Transmission Logic at Different Dimensions

The Tang School centers on chemical transmission across synapses via neurotransmitters, analogous to a pass-the-parcel model—essentially short-distance relay communication hand to hand. Signal transmission relies on the sequential connection and relay of multi-level synapses. It features flexible regulation mechanisms and wide physiological adaptability. However, redundant transmission links, significant delays in molecular diffusion, and vulnerability to internal and external environmental interference limit it to supporting slow-variable physiological processes such as basic metabolism, visceral homeostasis regulation, and low-level somatic reflexes, serving as the underlying basic operation and maintenance mode of the nervous system.

The Spark School is represented by the wired conduction of action potentials along nerve axons, comparable to old-fashioned dedicated landline lines—wired transmission via fixed circuits. It achieves fixed-point and directional transmission of electrical signals through dedicated anatomical neural pathways, with significantly higher conduction speed and signal fidelity than chemical transmission. Although saltatory conduction between nodes of Ranvier greatly boosts efficiency, it still cannot break free from the constraints of "fixed pathways and closed circuits". It only serves precise limb movement control, local sensory signal transmission, and neural computation within fixed circuits, failing to support large-scale synchronous linkage across multiple brain regions and global mental flow at the conscious level.

The Electromagnetic Wave WiFi School is an advanced theoretical paradigm established based on the neuronal membrane potential Iron Triangle steady-state model. Periodic rhythmic fluctuations of neuronal ions naturally generate stable, controllable biological electromagnetic wave fields with individual phase characteristics. Distinct from the hand-to-hand chemical relay of the Tang School and the anatomical wired constraints of the Spark School, this school takes wireless field coupling as its core mechanism—similar to modern walkie-talkies and mobile phones enabling wireless communication. It supports group calling, global coverage, and remote interconnection, phase locking and co-frequency resonance among neuronal groups and different brain regions. Boasting independence from physical media and fixed lines, ultra-low latency at nanosecond to picosecond levels, and full coverage within the brain, it represents the advanced form of neural information transmission above the Tang School and Spark School.

III. Hierarchical Division: The Divide Between Physical Body, Behavior and Consciousness

The three schools do not negate or exclude one another; instead, they coexist hierarchically with distinct responsibilities, forming a rigorous collaborative system where the underlying layer supports the middle layer, and the middle layer underpins the higher layer:

1.Tang School: Corresponds to the basic physiological level of the physical body. Adopting the hand-to-hand chemical relay mode, it undertakes "slow-channel" operation and maintenance functions including body metabolic regulation, visceral functional homeostasis, and low-level somatic reflexes.

2.Spark School: Corresponds to the somatic behavior regulation level. Using the dedicated fixed-pathway mode of landline telephones, it manages "medium-speed dedicated network" functions such as precise limb movement, local sensory signal transmission, and neural computation within fixed circuits.

3.WiFi School: Corresponds to the high-level conscious activity level. With the global field mode of wireless group calling like walkie-talkies and mobile phones, it undertakes "high-speed global network" functions including logical thinking, intuitive inspiration, self-cognition, memory integration, and global mental linkage.

Relying solely on the material and anatomical transmission logic of the Tang School and Spark School cannot reasonably explain extraordinary life phenomena such as human instantaneous decision-making, global thinking integration, epiphanic cognitive leaps, and cross-regional conscious synchronization. The proposal of the Electromagnetic Wave WiFi School provides solid biophysical and electromagnetic field theoretical basis for the superluminal, instantaneous and globally synergistic characteristics of conscious activities.

IV. Extension of Field Theory: A Scientific Hypothesis on Consciousness, Soul and Immortality

The research scope of the Tang School and Spark School is always confined to the concrete material and physiological level: neural cell structure, synaptic transmitter molecules, ion channel opening and closing. They can only explain the operation of the physical body and behavioral responses, failing to touch the origin of consciousness and ultimate life mysteries. From a new perspective of biological electromagnetic fields, the WiFi School connects the internal logical correlation of material physiological structure – ion coding rhythm – emergent field consciousness.

Based on this theoretical framework, rigorous academic hypotheses are put forward:

First, the essence of consciousness is a global field effect emerging from the synchronous resonance and overall coupling of biological electromagnetic waves of massive neurons. It does not arise from the isolated function of a single neuron, but is a high-level life attribute generated by the ordered superposition of group electromagnetic oscillations.

Second, the soul can be defined as a stable electromagnetic information configuration with exclusive waveform characteristics, fixed phase coding, and carrying lifelong memories and personality traits. It is relatively independent of the physical carrier of the body and will not dissipate completely and instantly with the apoptosis of somatic cells.

Using electronic hardware and signal data as a simple analogy: the physical body is like hardware that naturally ages and deteriorates over time; while the electromagnetic information encoding carrying personality traits, memory trajectories and thinking inertia can be preserved for a long time, migrated in waveform and reorganized for adaptation under specific physiological and field conditions, detaching from the original physical carrier. This theoretical perspective offers a new scientific research path to reinterpret classical propositions in traditional culture and religion, such as the persistence of the soul, karmic reincarnation and life immortality through field theory, information theory and bioelectromagnetism. It must be emphasized that this hypothesis is currently only a theoretical deduction and logically self-consistent construction, and its objective validity awaits verification by cutting-edge experimental methods such as high-precision bioelectromagnetic detection technology, brain-computer interfaces, and neural field imaging in the future.

V. Academic Value and Long-term Significance of the Theoretical Framework

This paper does not advocate replacing the historical contributions and practical physiological value of the Tang School and Spark School with the WiFi School in an all-round way. Instead, it aims to clarify the differences in physical principles, hierarchical boundaries of dimensions, and functional positioning in life of the three schools:

1.The Tang School: A low-speed chemical transmission chain via hand-to-hand relay;

2.The Spark School: A closed wired electrical network via dedicated landline lines;

3.The WiFi School: An open advanced interconnection pathway of global electromagnetic waves via wireless group communication.

If this three-tier framework can be further discussed, dialectically demonstrated and experimentally verified by academia, it is expected to break the long-standing limitation of neuroscience confined to microscopic ions, synaptic appearances and anatomical circuits. It will naturally extend to interdisciplinary research fields including consciousness science, philosophy of mind and cognitive life science, constructing a new theoretical coordinate system and research paradigm for humanity to explore ultimate questions such as the origin of life, essence of consciousness and the meaning of existence.