Computers have a clock rate that synchronizes their processors. In spite of tempting analogies, the brain is clearly not simply an organic computer. It is constantly changing, rewiring and pruning its pathways, awash in changing nutrients, hormones and other chemicals in a manner that dwarfs any computer ever built.
But is there a biological equivalent to a refresh or clock rate in the brain that organizes perception, cognition and reaction? Is there a timing signal that creates the fleeting now of our consciousness? Or are the various sensory inputs, internal processing, memory storage and accessing, cognition, and signal output only loosely coordinated?
