--- title: Cognition and consciousness arise from analog... description: MIT neuroscientists led by Earl K. Miller propose a new theory that cognition and consciousness arise from analog computations performed by traveling brain... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/cognition-and-consciousness-arise-from-analog-computations-says-new-theory-9ha0zfwt4 twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Cognition and consciousness arise from analog computations, says new theory | daily.dev og:description: MIT neuroscientists led by Earl K. Miller propose a new theory that cognition and consciousness arise from analog computations performed by traveling brain... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/cognition-and-consciousness-arise-from-analog-computations-says-new-theory-9ha0zfwt4 og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/9hA0zFWt4.png og:image:alt: Cognition and consciousness arise from analog computations, says new theory og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Cognition and consciousness arise from analog computations, says new theory **[MIT News](https://daily.dev/sources/mit)** · 6 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary MIT neuroscientists led by Earl K. Miller propose a new theory that cognition and consciousness arise from analog computations performed by traveling brain waves rather than solely from fixed neural circuits. Slower alpha/beta waves act as coordinating 'stencils' that regulate faster gamma waves carrying sensory information, and where waves intersect they can add and subtract, enabling parallel, wave-based analog computation. The theory also links disruptions in large-scale wave organization to loss of consciousness under anesthesia and suggests brain wave dynamics could become a target for non-invasive clinical treatments. The team says the next step is to find direct experimental evidence for analog computation in wave patterns. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### What is the new MIT theory about how the brain produces cognition and consciousness through brain waves? Earl K. Miller and colleagues at MIT's Picower Institute propose that cognition and consciousness arise from analog computations performed by traveling brain waves rather than fixed neural circuits alone. Slower alpha/beta waves act as spatial and temporal 'stencils' that coordinate faster gamma waves carrying sensory information, and where waves intersect they add and subtract, enabling parallel analog computation across the cortex. _daily.dev surfaces emerging neuroscience research like this for engineers exploring computational models of the brain._ ### What evidence links brain wave dynamics to consciousness in the MIT anesthesia studies? Studies led by Earl K. Miller and Emery N. Brown found that three different anesthetic drugs, each with distinct molecular mechanisms, all similarly disrupted large-scale brain wave organization to produce unconsciousness. This suggests consciousness depends less on specific receptors or cell types and more on the integrity of coordinated wave dynamics across cortical networks. _follow research like this on daily.dev to track how neuroscience findings inform brain-inspired computing ideas._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Quantum clues to consciousness: New research suggests the brain may harness the zero-point field](https://daily.dev/posts/quantum-clues-to-consciousness-new-research-suggests-the-brain-may-harness-the-zero-point-field-ka86xo9c3) · Phys.org · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [To flexibly organize thought, the brain makes use of space](https://daily.dev/posts/to-flexibly-organize-thought-the-brain-makes-use-of-space-edpmskgmq) · MIT News · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [This tool could show how consciousness works](https://daily.dev/posts/this-tool-could-show-how-consciousness-works-d3b29ubj1) · MIT Technology Review · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Rethinking how our brains use categories to make sense of the world](https://daily.dev/posts/rethinking-how-our-brains-use-categories-to-make-sense-of-the-world-dzwlbui8g) · MIT News · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [The science of consciousness](https://daily.dev/posts/the-science-of-consciousness-sgrdbso2a) · MIT News · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/cognition-and-consciousness-arise-from-analog-computations-says-new-theory-9ha0zfwt4) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Cognition and consciousness arise from analog computations, says new theory","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/cognition-and-consciousness-arise-from-analog-computations-says-new-theory-9ha0zfwt4","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/cognition-and-consciousness-arise-from-analog-computations-says-new-theory-9ha0zfwt4"},"datePublished":"2026-09-01T20:47:04.432Z","dateModified":"2026-09-01T20:47:25.827Z","description":"MIT neuroscientists led by Earl K. 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