Cognition is analog because the brain is

Classic models treat the brain as networks of neurons wired like a telegraph system, but growing evidence suggests higher cognition also depends on rhythmic oscillations: travelling electric-field dynamics across the cortex that shape neuronal spiking. Earl Miller argues that these fields act like radio waves layered on synaptic wiring, rapidly spreading influence over long distances, and may support large-scale coordination for executive control and consciousness as well as energy-efficient analog computation that could explain how the brain runs on about 20 watts.