Earl K. Miller

Photomosaic of Charles G. Gross composed of pictures of his students, colleagues, and friends.

If this were a leap year, today would be Charles G. Gross’s birthday, one of the giants of neuroscience. Miss you, Charlie. Read more about Charlie here:
doi.org/10.1016/j.ne...
#neuroscience

Propofol-mediated loss of consciousness disrupts predictive routing and local field phase modulation of neural activity | PNAS Predictive coding is a fundamental function of the cortex. The predictive routing model proposes a neurophysiological implementation for predictive...

Here are a couple of papers supporting the hypothesis that a *disconnection* between frontal and posterior cortex is associated with anesthesia-induced unconsciousness, not frontal cortex per se.
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
doi.org/10.1162/jocn...

There’s good evidence that a prefrontal model interacting with posterior cortex is important for consciousness, but if you’re looking for consciousness in a single brain region, you’re asking the wrong question.

Never really thought that. The hunt for a single locus of consciousness is the wrong question.

I've been studying the PFC for over 30 years. I never thought it was the location of consciousness. It is however important for control of thought and action, which is what consciousness is all about

It's a form that I didn't recognize. A bit of a strawman, if you ask me.

Frontiers | Cross-population amplitude coupling in high-dimensional oscillatory neural time series Neural oscillations have long been considered important markers of interaction across brain regions, yet identifying coordinated oscillatory activity from hi...

The brain oscillates and we should figure out why. Development of new analytics will be key:
Cross-population amplitude coupling in high-dimensional oscillatory neural time series
www.frontiersin.org/journals/com...
#neuroscience

They argue against the idea that *only* the higher-order model is important for consciousness. Did anyone argue for that?

Neuroscience undermines the higher-order theorists’ preferred solution to the targetless HOT problem The Higher-Order Theory (HOT) of consciousness holds that mental states become conscious when they are represented by another mental state. Most HOT theorists maintain that it is the higher-order, ...

This paper argues against higher-order theory (HOT) of consciousness. But its conclusion matches my understanding of HOT: conscious experience requires both a higher-order model and its linkage to posterior cortex.
doi.org/10.1080/0951...
#neuroscience

I hear you. Thanks.

Great advice. Thanks!

Brain network modeling with The Virtual Brain derives pharmacodynamics of ketamine https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.02.24.707663v1

I include myself

Spoiler alert: Yes

YouTube video by Mind-Body Solution Is The Brain an Analog Computer? Consciousness as Dynamic Brainwave Organization | Earl Miller

Is The Brain an Analog Computer? Consciousness as Dynamic Brainwave Organization | Earl Miller Mind-Body Solution podcast.
youtu.be/vZ1B-MvGMgw?...
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Good boy! Well-trained. Is it free will? That's a kettle of fish.

This is a public service announcement: Clear your sidewalks after it snows. I just had surgery to repair a hand injury from a fall on the ice last March.

If you listen to the brain, it can tell you how to do energy-efficient computing.
Brain-Inspired Energy Efficient Technologies for Next-Generation Artificial Intelligence
par.nsf.gov/biblio/10666...
#neuroscience

Here's how alpha/beta rhythms provide top-down control of working memory:
Miller, E.K., Lundqvist, L., and Bastos, A.M. (2018) Working Memory 2.0 Neuron, DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2018.09.023

Alpha and Beta Corticomotor Phase Dynamics Shape Visuomotor Control on a Single-Trial Basis A central question in sensorimotor neuroscience is how sensory inputs are mapped onto motor outputs to enable swift and accurate responses, even in the face of unexpected environmental changes. Here, ...

Alpha/beta rhythms and motor control. They also play roles in top-down control more generally.
Alpha and Beta Corticomotor Phase Dynamics Shape Visuomotor Control on a Single-Trial Basis
www.jneurosci.org/content/46/7...
#neuroscience

He Researched Dishonesty. He Got Friendly With Jeffrey Epstein.

An expert in dishonesty in more ways than one. He also had papers retracted over fabricated data.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/21/b...

Temporal Information: Synaptic footprints of time in working memory Temporary changes in synapses may allow working memory to keep track of both events and their timing.

Temporal Information: Synaptic footprints of time in working memory
Temporary changes in synapses may allow working memory to keep track of both events and their timing.
doi.org/10.7554/eLif...
#neuroscience

Resonant hierarchies: a multiscale framework for oscillatory dynamics in the brain Oscillatory activity is a hallmark of neural function across spatial and temporal scales, but its origins and computational roles remain only partially understood. Since our earlier caution against treating alpha-band activity as a unitary ...

"We aim to reposition oscillations as fundamental scaffolds of computation"
Resonant hierarchies: a multiscale framework for oscillatory dynamics in the brain
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
#neuroscience

Mixed-selective organization of reach and grasp in the primate fronto-parietal network
doi.org/10.1016/j.pn...
#neuroscience

Neuroblox

Innovations and Inventions at @picowerinstitute.bsky.social Neuroblox
picower.mit.edu/innovations-...
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MIT requires every student to know how to swim. But why? Many other colleges abandoned swimming requirements due to equity concerns and shifting priorities.

MIT is one of the few schools that still requires a swim test for graduation. share.google/1VpLQThVBFis...

It might be worth reading up an ephaptic effects. There has been a lot of work.

Also consider that astrocytes are like 40% of cells. They have electrical properties like neurons, spread electrical influences but do NOT spike. So, Spikes are rare and in about half of cells. Oscillatory effects are in 100% of cells, 100% of the time. Which is the tail and which is the dog?

No, not at all. Don't think in terms of single neurons. Think of mass action of millions. They are many demonstrations of *strong* ephaptic effects entraining spiking. Also consider that cortical neurons only spike a fraction of the time. Oscillatory dynamics are 100% of the time.