• ThirstySouls

  The mind as a computer – Part One

  Posted by bopbop on February 21, 2026 at 10:34 am

  Hardware:

  I would never be mistaken for a member of the “Geek Squad.” In fact, I don’t know much about the workings of the hardware inside the computer. But I do know that it has circuit boards, power supplies, fans, heat sinks (?), a video card, a sound card, and who knows what else. All of these pieces are part of a certain design, depending on the computer’s main purpose. My son and grandsons have a much better understanding of how all the pieces work together to form the desktop computer that is my main source of web connection. But one thing I know is that if one part goes bad or starts to malfunction, my computer is not going to do all that I want it to do.

  Our minds (like a computer) are also made up of physical pieces. The pieces are part of an intentional design. When all the pieces are working together properly, the mind works according to design to accomplish all that it was intended to do. (Whether we use the full capacity is for another discussion.) Let’s take a quick look at the “hardware” of our minds that we call the Brain.

  “The brain is an amazing three-pound organ that controls all functions of the body, interprets information from the outside world, and embodies the essence of the mind and soul. Intelligence, creativity, emotion, and memory are a few of the many things governed by the brain. Protected within the skull, the brain is composed of the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem.

  The brain receives information through our five senses: sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing – often many at one time. It assembles the messages in a way that has meaning for us, and can store that information in our memory. The brain controls our thoughts, memory, and speech, movement of the arms and legs, and the function of many organs within our body.” (Brain Anatomy | Mayfield Brain and Spine, Cincinnati, Ohio)

  We could spend hours discussing the different parts of the brain and their functions. Later, we can explore the right side/left side, the upper and lower regions, etc. For the purpose of this post, I want to look at two specific areas: the Prefrontal Cortex and the Amygdala.

  First, let’s consider the amygdala. It’s a tiny area of the brain (see above) that functions like an alarm system. Think about the fire alarms in schools and other buildings, that says “Break in Case of Fire.” When someone breaks the glass, the alarm has two main jobs: the first is to get everyone’s attention, and the second is to alert 911. The amygdala gets our attention by releasing adrenaline from the adrenal glands to the brain. Then it sends out an urgent call to the brain through the hypothalamus, which is connected to the pituitary gland. All of this happens in nanoseconds, which doesn’t give us much time to think about what’s happening.

  In the case of the fire, the fire trucks arrive on the scene, and the fire chief assesses the situation and decides if he needs more responders. He notifies the 911 operator. If there is no need for extra firefighters, the response is closed down, and things begin to calm down.

  While all of this is happening, the school principal or the building coordinator evaluates whether there is a real emergency or a false alarm. The alarm can be confirmed or shut off. In the brain, this is done by the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC), which is located right behind the forehead.

  Here is an example of how this might work, quoted from “The God Shaped Brain” by Dr. Timothy R. Jennings.

  Here’s an example of how this might work in your life. Imagine walking in a meadow with your family. As you step forward in the grass, out of the corner of your eye, you see something black and slithery by your feet. What happens? Your alarm (amygdala) fires and directly releases adrenaline from your adrenal glands to bring you to attention. The alarm also calls your 911 operator (hypothalamus), which immediately radios (sends hormone signals via the pituitary gland) for emergency responders (glucocoriticoids). The adrenal glands dispatch the responders and, in combination with the adrenaline, your heart rate rises, blood pressure shoots up, respirations increase, glucose is dumped into the bloodstream, blood is shunted away from your internal organs to your muscles, and you are primed to run out of there as fast as you can. This is the classic fight-or-flight response. Then, after all of that happens, your “administrator” (DLPFC), the part of the brain right behind your forehead where you do your thinking and reasoning, turns on and says, “Hey, it’s not a snake, it’s just a rubber hose.” And what happens? Everything immediately begins to calm down.

  Jennings, Timothy R. The God-Shaped Brain: How Changing Your View of God Transforms Your Life (p. 34). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.

  Unfortunately, lots of people have problems calming their alarm systems. This is often caused by recurring or chronic fear. We’ll explore that topic in another post.

  Now let’s look at the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is made up of several subparts.

  The regions of interest (ROIs) of the prefrontal cortex, segmented as described by Carlén. dmPFC, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex; dlPFC, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; vmPFC, ventromedial prefrontal cortex; vlPFC, ventrolateral prefrontal cortex; OFC, orbital frontal cortex; ACC, anterior cingulate cortex.

  Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) – where we reason, strategize, and plan.

  Orbital frontal cortex (OFC) and Ventral Medial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) are considered the most likely place of the conscience. This is where we experience guilt and recognize socially inappropriate behavior.

  These three areas combine to form the ability to make judgments.

  All of these parts, and others, need to work together (integration) in order for the mind to be healthy.

  In the next post, we’ll talk about the software part of the brain. If you have anything to add to this post or just have thoughts, please feel free to comment.

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