Are all brain functions computable?

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Whether the human brain is nothing but an advanced computer is a matter of inconclusive debate. This paper contributes to that debate. METHOD: Critical reasoning based on evidence provided by the history of a woman who complained of amnesia after each of two separate acts of attempted suicide. FINDINGS: A life-threatening tendency (suicidal impulses) may be countered by a functional imperfection (selective amnesia) or a feigned malfunction (malingering). INTERPRETATION: Some aspects of brain function may depend on operations that no hitherto invented computer can duplicate.