A brain is a transducer device; it reads environmental signals, interprets the signals and then regulates the body’s chemistry that controls the genetic expression of the cells. The brain perceives images of our world and if those images are a threatening, the brain releases different regulatory chemicals into the body versus if it perceives a love image. Interpretation by the mind is critical because the brain reads the environmental images but has no opinion as to what those images mean.
The mind interprets the environmental signals based upon our learning experiences. For example, if as children we learned that X is threatening, then whenever X comes into our environment, the mind’s interpretation will stimulate the brain to release neurochemicals that control cell behavior and gene activity to coordinate a protection response. Information from the environment is very critical in shaping the expression of the genes.