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 Interaction
6:30 - Electrical Oscillations: Excitation & Inhibition Patterns
9:30 - Advantages of Wave-Based Processing over Logic Gates
11:00 - Coordinating Millions of Neurons for Attention
12:30 - Goals, Plans & Intentions Driving Brain Activity
15:30 - Real-Time Control: Synapses vs Waves Debate
18:30 - Generating New Brain Wave Patterns in Real Time
23:00 - Implications for AI & Cognitive Science
27:30 - Evolving Views on Cortical Computation & Oscillations
32:00 - High & Low Energy Phases in Brain Waves Explained
38:00 - Waves as a Mechanism for Self-Organization
44:00 - Real Analog Computation Through Wave Interactions
1:15:26 - Closing Thoughts

EPISODE LINKS:
- Earl's Website: https://ekmillerlab.mit.edu/earl-miller/
- Earl's Publications: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=hv8jgk8AAAAJ&hl=en
- Earl's X: https://x.com/MillerLabMIT
- Earl's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/earlkmiller/
- Cognition is an emergent property: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2024.101388
- Analog Theory:
https://loc.closertotruth.com/theory/millers-brain-waves-analog-organization-of-cortex
- Cognition Emerges From Neural Dynamics Lecture: https://youtu.be/ie58Ujqy0vA

CONNECT:
- Website: https://mindbodysolution.org
- YouTube: https://youtube.com/@MindBodySolution
- Podcast: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/mindbodysolution
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/drtevinnaidu
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- Website: https://tevinnaidu.com

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