Classic models likened brain function to networks of neurons, analogous to telegraph systems. Emerging evidence, however, suggests that higher cognition relies not only on synaptic connections but also on rhythmic oscillations. These “brain waves” are electric field dynamics that travel across the cortex and shape neuronal spiking. This view expands the brain’s functional repertoire: the “telegraph wires” of synaptic circuits also generate “radio waves” (electric fields) that rapidly distribute influence across large distances. Such fields may support large-scale coordination underlying executive control and consciousness. They may even enable energy-efficient analog computation, which may explain why our brains run on the power of a dim lightbulb (20W).

Earl K. Miller is the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).