Essentials: How to Focus to Change Your Brain

Huberman Lab

Scicomm Media

Science, Health & Fitness, Life Sciences

4.8 • 26.2K Ratings

🗓️ 19 December 2024

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, I explain how neuroplasticity allows the brain to continue to adapt and change throughout life, particularly through focused attention and active engagement in learning. I explain how neuroplasticity differs in children and adults, highlighting the key neurochemicals required for adult learning. I explain science-supported protocols to boost alertness and improve attention, including techniques like visual focus and goal accountability. I also discuss how sleep, along with practices such as non-sleep deep rest (NSDR) and naps, support the brain to enhance learning. Huberman Lab Essentials are short episodes (approximately 30 minutes) focused on essential science and protocol takeaways from past Huberman Lab episodes. Essentials will be released every Thursday, and our full-length episodes will still be released every Monday. Read the full show notes at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman David: https://davidprotein.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman More Huberman Lab Huberman Lab Premium: https://go.hubermanlab.com/premium Huberman Lab Merch: https://go.hubermanlab.com/merch Timestamps 00:00:00 Huberman Lab Essentials; Neuroplasticity 00:03:27 Sponsor: David 00:04:43 New Neurons; Sensory Information, Brain & Customized Map 00:07:40 Recognition, Awareness of Behaviors 00:09:58 Sponsor: AG1 00:11:06 Attention & Neuroplasticity 00:15:40 Epinephrine, Acetylcholine & Nervous System Change 00:18:20 Improve Alertness, Epinephrine, Tool: Accountability 00:20:39 Improve Attention, Acetylcholine, Nicotine 00:23:09 Sponsor: LMNT 00:24:26 Tool: Visual Focus & Mental Focus 00:29:54 Tool: Ultradian Cycles, Anchoring Attention 00:31:00 Sleep & Neuroplasticity; NSDR, Naps 00:33:34 Recap & Key Takeaways 00:36:38 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow & Reviews, Recommendations, Sponsors Disclaimer & Disclosures

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Huberman Lab Essentials, where we revisit past episodes for the most potent and actionable
0:05.8	science-based tools for mental health, physical health, and performance.
0:11.0	My name is Andrew Huberman, and I'm a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine.
0:17.7	Today we're talking about neural plasticity, which is this incredible feature
0:22.1	of our nervous systems that allows it to change in response to experience. Neural plasticity
0:28.2	is arguably one of the most important aspects of our biology. It holds the promise for each
0:34.0	and all of us to think differently, to learn new things, to forget painful experiences,
0:41.3	and to essentially adapt to anything that life brings us
0:45.0	by becoming better.
0:46.4	So let's get started.
0:47.9	Most people are familiar with the word neural plasticity,
0:51.1	which is the brain and nervous systems ability
0:53.7	to change itself. All of us were the brain and nervous system's ability to change itself.
0:55.5	All of us were born with a nervous system that isn't just capable of change, but was designed
1:01.7	to change.
1:02.7	When we enter the world, our nervous system is primed for learning.
1:10.0	The brain and nervous system of a baby
1:12.6	is wired very crudely.
1:15.6	The connections are not precise.
1:17.6	And we can see evidence of that in the fact
1:19.6	that babies are kind of flopping there,
1:21.6	like a kind of a little potato bug with limbs.
	...

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