The approach to employing quantum field theory for memory and brain function was first pioneered by Umezawa and Ricciardi in 1967 by comparing brain electrical activity with properties of condensed matter. More formally, by examining the macroscopic properties of Bose gases which arise from microscopic quantum phenomena it can be shown that by extending the concept to many-body systems applied to thermofield dynamics and condensed states it is a natural requirement to employ a dual state. The notion of duality has been extended to a dissipative model by Celeghini, Rasetti and Vitiello and has been further developed to an extensive model for brain dynamics by Vitiello, Freeman, Jibu, Yasue and others. Neuroscientific studies, based on this model, on humans and animals by Freeman and Vitiello have provided new insights into the nature of perception and cognition which for the first time relate electrical patterns directly to thoughts and perception in a formal scientific manner amenable to quantitative analysis. The model is presently the most accurate predictor of the empirical outcomes of a wide range of brain electrical activity and is of growing interest amongst quantum physicists and neuroscientists. From a broader perspective, it may also provide a deeper insight into the elusive nature of human consciousness and proposals have been conjectured by Vitiello, Freeman, Jibu and Yasue. Importantly there does not exist any suitable alternative neural network based model which can adequately explain the empirical data. We review the key elements of the many-body quantum brain model with an emphasis on providing a sound physical basis for the approach and providing compelling rationale for pursuing the model. The goal of this study is to review the dissipative many-body quantum field model of brain dynamics and highlight its key field-theoretic features in relation to the neuroscientific evidence and demonstrate the validity and strengths of the model in the light of recent developments on cerebral cortical electrical ‘forms’ during perception, stabilised by vortices, which agree with that observed by neuroscientists.