Brain Health
Last Updated: 25.05.23
4 Min Read
Andrew Huberman: How the Brain Works, Andrew’s Backstory, Scientific Literacy + More
Attia hosts Andrew Huberman — Andrew discusses the brain, stress’s impact on creativity, belief’s effect on performance, and vision as a “superpower.” He shares his personal journey, therapy’s value, staying true to passion, and addressing scientific illiteracy.
Source
We recommend using this distillation as a supplemental resource to the source material.
Full Notes
Blood Flow Restriction Training
- Peter and Andrew discuss their experience with blood flow restriction (BFR) training
- Benefits of BFR training:
- Growth hormone increase
- Minimal soreness
- More metabolic benefit with less trauma
- Increased efficiency in processing lactate
Lactate and the Brain
- Lactate is an important fuel for the brain, especially in high-stress situations
- Hypothalamus and brainstem areas preferentially use lactate as a fuel
- Prefrontal cortex quiets down during high-stress situations, allowing resources to be allocated to more essential brain functions
Prefrontal Cortex and Rule Setting
- Prefrontal cortex is involved in rule setting by context
- Adjusting behavior depending on context is governed by the prefrontal cortex
- Phineas Gage: famous case of a man who lost his ability to switch rule sets due to damage to his prefrontal cortex
Amygdala and Fear
- Amygdala is involved in defense and alertness systems in the brain
- Bilateral amygdala damage can lead to a lack of fear in certain situations and inappropriate behavior
- Prefrontal cortex is intimately involved with the limbic pathway
Monosynamics and Cortical Areas - Monosynamics: less evolved than the neocortex
- Dating of cortical areas is controversial
- Arnold Krigstein at UCSF uses carbon dating to study brain evolution
- Establishing homology between species is difficult due to the lack of a fossil record for the brain
Prefrontal Cortex, Amygdala, and Insula
- Prefrontal Cortex: involved in executive function and complex rule setting
- Amygdala: involved in threat detection and generic responses (e.g., increased heart rate)
- Insula: controls interoception (perception of internal body states) and has a map of the body surface and internal organs
Neural Circuits and Direction of Information Flow
- Neural circuits can run in both directions
- Under calm conditions, information flows from the prefrontal cortex to the amygdala and insula
- Under stress or discomfort, information flows from the insula and amygdala to the prefrontal cortex
- This inversion of information flow can lead to a loss of flexibility in thinking and a focus on specific rule sets
Mental Health and Information Flow
- In states of mental health, information flows from the prefrontal cortex to the amygdala and insula
- In depression, there is a deficit in activation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, leading to information flow from the insula and amygdala to the prefrontal cortex
- This inversion of information flow may contribute to feelings of hopelessness and lack of motivation in depression
- People with limited rule sets struggle to access different ways of thinking
- Others may suggest exercise, job hunting, or new relationships, but these individuals can’t see the same “playboard”
- Nolan’s lab uses transcranial magnetic stimulation to activate left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
- Helps reveal new rule sets in the moment
- Likely overwhelms south-to-north current and creates neuroplasticity that reduces it over time
- Interoception: awareness of internal body states
- Double-edged sword: high levels can be beneficial, but also problematic
- People with high interoception can often feel their own heartbeat
- Insula plays a role in processing internal state information
- Pain perception and the insula
- Primary site for delivery of somatic sensation to the brain
- Example: pain from a small bowel obstruction is perceived in the insula
- Importance of the brain in perception and experience
- Amputation of limbs would not change one’s identity as much as removing parts of the brain
- Vision and movement dominate most of the brain’s real estate
- 40–42% of the human brain has visual response specificity
- Comparing human senses to animals
- Humans have better vision than many animals due to tricolor vision
- Animals often have superior hearing and smell capabilities
- Olfactory neuronal component in humans is minimal in comparison to vision
Visual Acuity and Adaptation in Animals and Humans
- Animals have different visual acuity and distribution of what they see in the world
- Example: Sheep have high acuity vision for select regions of visual space
- Redtail hawks have a phobia that views the floor, allowing them to see prey from a distance
- Diving birds have a horizontal visual streak to view the horizon
- Sloths have a phobia on the top of the eye to view the jungle floor
- Elephants have a J‑shaped high-density retina to view their trunk and its tip
- Retina and visual system are most sensitive to motion
- Fast pathway from retina to brainstem structure called the superior caliculus
- Engages the orienting reflex, not a conscious decision-making process
- Humans have microsaccades (tiny jitter) in the retina that prevents habituation of neurons
- If microsaccades were eliminated, objects would become invisible unless there’s movement
- Olfactory adaptation: Smells become less noticeable over time due to habituation of olfactory neurons
- Example: Fish market smell becomes less noticeable after a few minutes
- Visual adaptation examples:
- Fun house mirror: At first, feel off-balance, but quickly adapt to the distorted environment
- Inverting glasses: Within 4 hours, the brain adapts and flips the visual world back to normal
- Cellular changes in the oculomotor and visual motor structures of the brain stem communicate with higher-level perceptual centers of the cortex
- Primary function of the visual system was to recognize daytime and nighttime
- Melanopsin intrinsically photosensitive ganglion cells handle this function, not paying attention to shapes or other visual aspects
Neurons and Sensing in the Brain
- Melanopsin intrinsically photosensitive ganglion cells handle this function, not paying attention to shapes or other visual aspects
- Neurons in the brain can sense various aspects of the environment
- Daytime and nighttime (circadian biology)
- Contrast and motion
- Shape and form
- Color
- Specific facial features
- Fusiform face gyrus: area of the brain responsible for facial recognition
- Lesions in this area can lead to prosopagnosia, a condition where people can recognize faces but not specific facial identities
Color Vision and Olfaction
- Color vision evolved later in the visual system
- Humans traded out diversity of olfactory receptors for the ability to perceive a wider range of colors
- Olfaction is still important for humans
- Smell is closely linked to taste and can impact our physiology
- Examples: the smell of a romantic partner, a child, or disgust from the smell of vomit
Pheromones and Odor Effects
- Pheromones: chemicals released by one organism that can act on the physiology of another organism
- Presence of true pheromones in humans is still debated
- Odor effects: the conscious perception of a scent that impacts our physiology
- Examples: the smell of a child’s head and neck can trigger innate and learned responses in a parent
Olfactory Abilities in Animals
- Animals like elk can sense odor plumes and switch between their different nostrils to geolocate
- They can track multiple individuals simultaneously through odor plumes
Odor Perception in Animals
- They can track multiple individuals simultaneously through odor plumes
- Animals like elk can create and split multiple cones of odor attention
- They can perceive depth with their odor plumes
- Other animals do this with their odor plumes, but humans do not have this experience
Evolution of Human Perception
- Humans traded out space for greater visual acuity
- Two factors set humans apart from other animals:
- The duration of time in our lifespan in which we can engage neuroplasticity
- Time perception: the ability to divorce from memories of the past and experiences in the present and also anticipate experiences in the future
- Humans can narrow or broaden their visual aperture, which affects time perception
Dreams and Liminal States
- In dreams and liminal states, humans can access visual experiences that are impossible in regular conscious perceptual states
- The brain can learn new rule sets and possibilities in these states
Mindset Effects and Belief Systems
- Aliyah Crumb’s work on mindset effects or belief effects shows that breaking rule sets in a dream state could have a similar effect on an individual as breaking them in the real world
- These effects are different from placebo effects
Mindset Effects on Physiology - Mindset can have significant effects on physiological responses
- Example: Different responses to milkshakes labeled as low calorie vs. high calorie
- Example: Hotel workers losing weight after being informed of the health benefits of their work
- Example: Stress responses based on beliefs about stress’s positive or negative effects
- Mindset effects can account for 8–20% of the effects of food or behavior
Creativity and Rule Sets
- Creativity involves combining existing rule sets and coming up with completely new ones
- Singular focus and purpose in life can lead to greater creativity and problem-solving abilities
- Example: Dreaming about math problems and finding solutions in dreams
- Accessing broader rule sets and coming up with new ones is more likely in states of love or unconstrained thinking
- Example: Raising children with an infinite number of possible adaptations for their happiness and health
- Dreaming allows for unconstrained rule sets, but they are still limited by past experiences
Relaxation and Problem Solving - Relaxed state allows for accessing new rule sets and solving problems more effectively
- Under stress, people struggle with novel tasks
- Creative solutions often come from a state of relaxation and desire for something, rather than avoidance
Love, Delight, and Motivation
- Major advancements in human evolution often come from a desire for something, rather than avoidance
- Delight, fascination, and curiosity can be powerful motivators for problem-solving and innovation
- Multiple purposes can drive people to accomplish tasks, such as love for the work and fear of negative consequences
Andrew Huberman’s Background
- Born at Stanford Hospital, grew up in Palo Alto, California
- Father was an experimental physicist, mother was a stay-at-home mom and teacher
- Exposed to the academic world and theoretical physics from a young age
- Developed a passion for biology and animals
- Parents divorced when he was 12–13, leading to a difficult period in his life
- Became involved in the skateboarding community, exposed to various elements and experiences
- Struggled with school attendance, leading to placement in a residential treatment program in 9th grade
Difficult Home Life and Personal Growth - Home life was challenging due to parents’ focus on their own issues
- Lack of boundaries and rules for a 14-year-old
- Part of a community of “parentless kids”
Experience in a Youth Facility
- Felt unfair to be placed in the facility
- Counselors were helpful and supportive
- Exposure to other kids dealing with drug and alcohol issues
- Realized the importance of asking questions about personal growth and understanding
Switching High Schools and Starting Therapy
- Switched to Palo Alto High School and began therapy
- Therapy provided a supportive environment to figure things out
- Continued therapy for over 30 years, helping to understand personal thinking and separate external influences from personal desires
Personal Growth and Interests
- Stopped skateboarding due to injury and started getting involved in fitness
- Participated in martial arts, weightlifting, and running
- Improved focus on school and developed a better work ethic
Overcoming Challenges and Personal Growth - High school years filled with anger and lack of structure
- Found solace in skateboarding and physical labor
- Started taking fire science classes while still in high school
- Dabbled in drugs, specifically psychedelics
- High school girlfriend provided some organization and motivation
- Relationship faced challenges, including a pregnancy
- Attended UC Santa Barbara to be with girlfriend
- Struggled academically and socially, getting into fights
- Relationship with girlfriend became strained
- Summer between freshman and sophomore year
- Lived in a squatting situation in Isle Vista
- Worked at a Bagel Cafe, delivering bagels
- Involved in a violent altercation, leading to police involvement
- Realized the need for change and personal growth
Bagel Cafe to Neuroscience
- Felt like a screw-up, wrote a letter to his mom about his past and future plans
- Took a leave of absence from UC Santa Barbara, moved home, went to Foothill College
- Focused on coursework and working out, became a straight‑A student
- Returned to Santa Barbara, lived in a studio apartment, got back together with girlfriend
- Education partially funded by his dad
- Became interested in neuroscience, worked in a lab studying brown adipose tissue, dopamine antagonists, and temperature
- Studied mental health, neurotransmitters, dopamine, and norepinephrine
- Eventually went to graduate school at UC Berkeley
Pivotal Moments and Influences
- Fight where knives came out made him realize he needed to change his life
- Connected with bodybuilder Mike Menser, who coached him and encouraged him to develop his mind
- High school football coach taught him about weight training and running
- Friend Gary Hall told him it wasn’t his fault his parents were messed up, but it would be his fault if he screwed up
- Realized discipline and self-imposed structure were the answer to his problems
PhD and Postdoc Experiences - PhD focuses on:
- Learning the basics of the field and being tested in the classroom
- Learning the basics of experimentation and experimental design
- Becoming an expert in one specific area through experiments
- Learning the publication process, writing, taking rejection, and handling challenges in seminars
- Postdoc is similar to PhD but more focused on research and less on coursework
- Expectations for publications during PhD:
- Varies, but 1–2 high-quality papers are usually sufficient
- The key requirement is to become an expert in one area and understand its implications in the context of the field
- Typically correlates with having one first-author manuscript in a good journal
Huberman’s Journey in Science
- Moved to UC Davis to work with Barbara Chapman, a younger faculty member
- Lived in the lab, focusing solely on work and science
- Met Ben Barris, the first transgender member of the National Academy, and connected over their shared passion for science
- Initially turned down a postdoc with Ben Barris due to not wanting to be in Palo Alto, where he grew up
- Moved to Boston for a postdoc but left due to personal issues with the lab head
- Ended up joining Ben Barris’s lab at Stanford, working on retinal biology
- Eventually got a job at UC San Diego in their neuroscience program
PhD and Postdoc Experiences - PhD typically takes 4 years, with half in the classroom and half in the lab
- Postdoc focuses on research and developing an independent research program
- 80% of postdocs now go into industry
- Goal of both PhD and postdoc is to have a 1‑hour seminar of independent work and context
Working with Ben Barres
- Ben Barres was a prominent neuroscientist and mentor
- Transitioned from female to male during his career
- Encouraged questioning dogma and exploring different ideas
- Struggled with weight and experimented with various diets, including keto and fasting
- Passed away in 2017 due to pancreatic cancer
Personal Experiences and Connections
- Lived and worked in the Bay Area, overlapping with other notable figures
- Ben Barres had an interest in nutrition and supplementation, often discussing it with others
- Encountered Steve Jobs and had connections to his personal life through friends and family
Punk Rocker Scientist - Inspired by people like Joe Strummer and Oliver Sachs who went against the grain in their fields
- Worked on glia cells, which were initially thought to be unimportant support cells
- Showed that glia cells are important for brain functioning and development
Balancing Work and Personal Life
- Struggled with balancing work and personal life, especially in the Bay Area with high living costs
- Worked as a postdoc and wrote articles for Thrasher and Slap magazines to make ends meet
- Eventually got a job at UC San Diego and started his own lab, which flourished
Reconnecting with Father
- Went to therapy with his father to address their strained relationship
- Realized they had similar struggles and experiences growing up
- Forgiveness and understanding led to a closer relationship
Dealing with Loss and Mental Health
- Published a paper in Science and reconnected with his former professor, Harry Carlyle
- Harry committed suicide shortly after, despite his knowledge of mental health and neurochemistry
- Realized that knowledge alone might not save someone from mental health struggles
Close Relationship with PhD Advisor
- Very close with PhD advisor, Barbara Chapman
- Families were intertwined, and she had two kids while he was in the lab
- Noticed she started falling out of communication with people
Dealing with Loss and Finding Purpose - Speaker experienced multiple losses, including mentors and close friends
- Struggled with grief and feeling disconnected from work and life
- Engaged in dangerous behavior as a coping mechanism
- In 2017, attended a week-long trauma immersion program
- Met a former Navy SEAL who challenged him to share his knowledge with the world
- In 2019, started posting short educational clips on Instagram
- Focused on sharing knowledge about the retina and other neuroscience topics
- In 2020, the pandemic hit and the speaker decided to focus on sharing stress management tools
- Appeared on 30 podcasts, including Joe Rogan’s and Lex Fridman’s
- In 2021, started the Huberman Lab podcast
- Aimed to honor Stanford University and showcase brilliant minds in various fields
- Continues to attend therapy and has explored the use of psychedelics for personal growth
- Stresses the importance of staying in touch with what gives us energy and finding purpose in life
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