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I was wondering what kind of computational model is the human brain (as it seems superior to a Turing machine).

Another thing that should be a separate question, What would be a perfect computer model be like, is our brain any close to it?

Apology for putting the ideas in a very beginner way, which ofcourse I am.

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  • $\begingroup$ Is this answered already by cstheory.stackexchange.com/q/5379/129? On a related note: why do you think the brain can solve problems that a TM can't? $\endgroup$
    – Joshua Grochow
    Commented Jun 26, 2020 at 4:06
  • $\begingroup$ @JoshuaGrochow like there's not a good algorithm that can make any algorithm. Maybe I am wrong. Please correct me. $\endgroup$
    – Aether
    Commented Jun 26, 2020 at 4:18
  • $\begingroup$ In my understanding of the brain, one can model the brain quite faithfully on a (albeit very large) Turing machine, by simulating all the molecules in the brain if it came to that. So in terms of the brain's ability to solve computational problems, I think there are always TMs that, in principle, could do the same. $\endgroup$
    – Joshua Grochow
    Commented Jun 26, 2020 at 4:25
  • $\begingroup$ Define "brain".... $\endgroup$
    – Avi Tal
    Commented Jun 26, 2020 at 4:28
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    $\begingroup$ @olinarr: While Emil is right that nothing is known for a fact, even for quantum interactions, sure you can simulate them. It might take a long (exponential) time (closely related to the BQP vs P question), but certainly a TM can do it. I don't think there have been any physical models proposed (general relativity, quantum field theory, etc.) where simulating them is uncomputable. $\endgroup$
    – Joshua Grochow
    Commented Jun 26, 2020 at 18:05

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This is pretty much an open problem and subject to active research. There are a few proposals available. Here are some of the latest ones:

  1. Brain computation by assemblies of neurons Christos H. Papadimitriou, Santosh S. Vempala, Daniel Mitropolsky, Michael Collins, Wolfgang Maass Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Jun 2020, 117 (25) 14464-14472; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2001893117 [Link]

  2. Manuel Blum's model of consciousness: [Video]

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