Is The Brain an Analog Computer? Consciousness as Dynamic Brainwave Organization | Earl Miller

From Mind-Body Solution by Mind-Body Solution

February 26, 2026 · 1h 15m · Episode 112

About this episode

The episode explores the concept of the brain as an analog computer through dynamic electrical waves with guest Earl Miller.

For decades, neuroscience treated the brain like a digital machine — storing information in synaptic connections and sustaining activity like a switch flipped on. But what if that model is incomplete?In this conversation, I sit down with Earl Miller, MIT professor and head of the Miller Lab, to explore a growing shift in cognitive neuroscience: the brain may compute using dynamic electrical waves.We discuss how oscillations coordinate millions of neurons, how waves interact with spikes in a two-way system, why large-scale brain organization may depend on rhythmic patterns, and what this means for artificial intelligence.If cognition isn’t just stored in connections — but emerges from real-time analog wave computation — how should we rethink intelligence? TIMESTAMPS:(0:00) - Introduction: Mind-Brain Relationship Explained(0:27) - Brain as an Analog System: Dynamic Wave Computation(0:59) - 20th Century Brain Models: Connectionist Cognition(2:04) - AI Limitations from Old Brain Models(2:35) - Storing Information in Synaptic Connections(3:29) - Self-Organizing Brain & Internal Control Systems(4:29) - Brain Waves for Large-Scale Organization(5:17) - Spikes and Waves: Two-Way Brain…

People in this episode

Host: Mind-Body Solution

Guest: Earl Miller

Topics covered

brain as an analog system
dynamic wave computation
cognitive neuroscience
artificial intelligence
neuron coordination

Keywords

brain
analog computer
dynamic waves
cognitive neuroscience
artificial intelligence

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: MIT, Miller Lab