How to Focus to Change Your Brain

Introduction

In this section, Andrew Huberman introduces himself and the podcast. He also thanks the sponsors of the podcast.

Introducing the Podcast

• Andrew Huberman introduces himself as a professor of Neurobiology and Ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine.

• The podcast is separate from his teaching and research roles at Stanford.

• The goal of the podcast is to bring science-based tools for everyday life to the general public.

Sponsors

• InsideTracker is a personalized nutrition platform that analyzes blood factors and DNA related factors to help develop a personalized health plan.

• It provides simple directives in terms of exercise, nutrition, and other lifestyle factors that can help guide your health and improve your health.

• Use code "Huberman" at checkout to get 25% off your order.

• Headspace is a meditation app that makes meditating easy.

• The meditations are backed by quality scientific peer-reviewed studies.

• You can get one month completely free all the meditations they have available by going to headspace.com/specialoffer

• Madefor is a behavioral science company that engages you in specific activities each month for 10 months in order to bring about positive behavioral change and growth mindset.

• Enter "Huberman" at checkout to get 15% off the program.

Neuroplasticity

In this section, Andrew Huberman talks about neuroplasticity which allows our nervous systems to change in response to experience.

What is Neuroplasticity?

• Neuroplasticity is an incredible feature of our nervous systems that allows it to change in response to experience.

• It holds promise for each and all of us to think differently, learn new things, etc.

InsideTracker

In this section, Andrew Huberman talks about InsideTracker and how it can help develop a personalized health plan.

What is InsideTracker?

• InsideTracker is a personalized nutrition platform that analyzes blood factors and DNA related factors to help develop a personalized health plan.

• It provides simple directives in terms of exercise, nutrition, and other lifestyle factors that can help guide your health and improve your health.

• Use code "Huberman" at checkout to get 25% off your order.

Headspace

In this section, Andrew Huberman talks about Headspace and how it makes meditating easy.

What is Headspace?

• Headspace is a meditation app that makes meditating easy.

• The meditations are backed by quality scientific peer-reviewed studies.

• You can get one month completely free all the meditations they have available by going to headspace.com/specialoffer

Madefor

In this section, Andrew Huberman talks about Madefor and how it engages you in specific activities each month for 10 months in order to bring about positive behavioral change and growth mindset.

What is Madefor?

• Madefor as a behavioral science company engages you in specific activities each month for 10 months in order to bring about positive behavioral change and growth mindset.

• Enter "Huberman" at checkout to get 15% off the program.

What is Neuroplasticity?

In this section, we will discuss what neuroplasticity is and the different forms of neuroplasticity.

Neuroplasticity

• Neuroplasticity refers to the brain and nervous system's ability to change itself.

• The nervous system can change in response to traumatic or positive events.

• There are many tools available to engage with neuroplasticity, but it's important to understand the science behind it.

Developmental Plasticity

In this section, we will discuss developmental plasticity and how our nervous system changes from birth until about age 25.

Wired for Learning

• Babies are born with a nervous system that is primed for learning.

• The connections in a baby's brain are not precise, which is why they cannot do much in terms of coordinated movement or speak with precision.

Removing Connections

• From birth until about age 25, our nervous system undergoes developmental plasticity where certain connections get reinforced while others are lost.

• This process mainly involves removing connections that don't serve our goals well.

One-Trial Learning

In this section, we will discuss one-trial learning and how it affects our nervous system.

Forever Changed

• One-trial learning occurs when we experience something once and our nervous system is forever changed by that experience.

• Positive and negative events during the birth to 25 period can be stamped down into our nervous system through one-trial learning.

The Plasticity of the Nervous System

In this section, the speaker discusses how some circuits in our nervous system are hard to change while others are easy to change. He explains that circuits controlling vital functions like breathing and digestion are wired so that plasticity or changes in those circuits is very unlikely.

Plasticity of the Young Brain

• The young brain is a plasticity machine.

• Children can learn through almost passive experience.

• Portions of the brain involved in speech and language are primed to learn and create new combinations.

Changes After Age 25

• After age 25, we have to engage in a completely different set of processes to get changes in our nervous system.

• Connections get refined mainly through the removal of connections that don't serve us and strengthening connections related to powerful experiences or allowing us to do things like walk, talk, and do math.

• If we want to change those super highways of connectivity after age 25, we have to engage in specific processes.

How the Nervous System Changes

In this section, the speaker talks about how the nervous system changes. He explains that after puberty, humans add very few if any new neurons.

Neurogenesis

• The idea that new neurons could be added to the brain has a rich history in experimental science.

• Neurogenesis occurs in rodents and some non-human primates.

Changing Your Nervous System

• Fire together, wire together is true for the way that the nervous system wires up early in development but doesn't apply in the same way after age 25.

• To change your nervous system, you have to go through a series of steps to change your internal state in ways that will allow you to change your brain.

Neuron Replacement and Plasticity

In this section, the speaker discusses the ability of humans to add new neurons to their olfactory bulb and hippocampus. They also talk about the process of neurocircuits creating new connections and adding new functions.

Neuron Replacement

• Humans can add new neurons to their olfactory bulb throughout their lifespan.

• Evidence for new neurons being added to the hippocampus is unclear.

• Studies have shown that if there are new neurons added to the adult brain, it's an infinitesimally small number of new neurons.

Neuroplasticity

• The nervous system is available for change, and if we create the right set of circumstances in our brain, chemical circumstances, and environmental circumstances around us, our nervous system will shift into a mode in which change isn't just possible but probable.

• Neurocircuits can create new connections and add new functions including memory and cognitive functions through making certain connections between neurons stronger or removing connections.

• As we get older, it becomes much harder to change the connections that are there due to extracellular matrix and glial cells filling up space between neurons.

Overall, while humans may not be able to add many new neurons throughout their lifespan, they still have the ability for neuroplasticity - changing neural circuits through strengthening or removing connections - which allows for continued growth and development throughout life.

The Brain's Customized Map of Experience

In this section, the speaker discusses how the brain adapts to different experiences and how it can change due to injury or impairment.

The Brain's Adaptability

• Blind individuals from birth have their visual cortex overtaken by hearing and touch.

• Blind people who use their visual cortex for braille reading and hearing have better auditory and touch acuity than sighted individuals.

• The neocortex is designed to be a customized map of experience, representing an individual's unique body plan and sensory experiences.

The Kennard Principle

• The Kennard principle states that if one is going to have a brain injury, it is better to have it early in life.

• Experiments examining the amount and rate of recovery in humans with lesions to their brain show that recovery is greater when injuries occur early in life.

Neuroplasticity

• Our brains also have maps of emotional experiences, such as trustworthiness.

• Recognition of something can lead to changes in perception over time.

Overall, the brain has a remarkable ability to adapt and change based on our experiences. However, there are certain principles that govern how much we can recover from injuries or impairments.

Neuroplasticity and Self-Recognition

In this section, the speaker discusses neuroplasticity and self-recognition. She explains that when we want to change something, we need to bring it into our consciousness and recognize what it is that we want to change. The brain has self-recognition mechanisms that are not vague concepts but rather neurochemicals.

Recognizing What We Want to Change

• When we decide that we want to shift some sort of behavior or learn new information, it's important to bring it into our consciousness.

• The first step in neuroplasticity is recognizing what it is exactly that we want to change.

• If you want to learn or change something about your nervous system, the first thing is recognizing what that thing is.

Self-Recognition Mechanisms

• The brain has self-recognition mechanisms that are not vague concepts but rather neurochemicals.

• Specific chemicals are released in the brain when we are consciously aware of a change we want to make or even just that we want to make some change.

• Our prefrontal cortex signals the rest of our nervous system that something worth paying attention to is about to happen.

The Myth of Every Experience Changing Your Brain

In this section, the speaker debunks the myth that every experience changes your brain. She explains how the nervous system changes when certain neurochemicals are released and allow neurons' connections active during those periods with chemicals swimming around them strengthen or weaken.

The Nervous System Changes with Neurochemicals

• The nervous system doesn't change just because you experienced something unless you're a very young child.

• The nervous system changes when certain neurochemicals are released and allow neurons' connections active during those periods with chemicals swimming around them strengthen or weaken.

Scientific History of Neuroplasticity

• David Hubel and Torsten Wiesel did a series of experiments in the visual cortex, exploring how vision works and how the visual brain organizes all the features of the visual world to give us these incredible things we call visual perceptions.

• They recorded electrical activity in the brain while exploring how vision works.

Critical Period for Visual Brain Development

In this section, the critical period for visual brain development is discussed. David and Torsten's experiments on the visual brain are explained, including how the brain rewires itself if clear vision does not occur during a critical period.

The Brain Rewires Itself During Critical Periods

• If clear vision does not occur during a critical period, the visual brain will rewire itself to represent whatever bit of visual information is coming in.

• Experiments were done to simulate a droopy or deviating eye by closing one eyelid. The visual brain responded entirely to the open eye, representing it exclusively.

• Other sensory systems have been studied as well. For example, if two fingers were taped together early in development, their representation in the brain would become fused so that they could not be distinguished separately.

Competition for Space in the Brain

This section discusses how all inputs from different parts of our body compete for space in the brain and how changes can only occur through selective shifts in attention or experience.

Changing Our Nervous System

• All inputs from different parts of our body compete for space in the brain.

• Changes can only occur through selective shifts in attention or experience that tell the brain it's time to change.

• Adding new connections requires removing something else.

• Attention is important because we need to bring an immense amount of attention to whatever it is that we want to change.

Bringing Attention to Change

This section explains why bringing attention to change is important and how it is linked to awareness.

The Importance of Attention

• If we want something to change, we really need to bring an immense amount of attention to whatever it is that we want to change.

• Changes occur through strengthening and weakening of particular connections, which have names like long-term potentiation, long-term depression, and spike-timing-dependent plasticity.

• Hubel and Wiesel's work on brain plasticity deserved a Nobel prize because they unveiled the mechanisms of brain change.

The Myth of the Critical Period

In this section, the speaker discusses the idea of a critical period in brain development and how it was proven to be incorrect.

Brain Plasticity in Adults

• The critical period theory suggested that if an input was deprived from the nervous system during development, it could never be changed unless intervened early.

• A graduate student named Gregg Recanzone conducted experiments that proved that the adult brain can change provided certain conditions are met.

• These experiments were tough on both the experimenter and subject. They involved paying attention to subtle differences in stimuli and pressing a lever when there was a change.

• As people paid more attention to these differences, there were rapid changes in plasticity in the representation of fingers.

Attention and Plasticity

• Paying attention to specific experiences opens up plasticity for those experiences.

• Experiences that you pay super careful attention to are what open up plasticity, not every experience you have.

Overall, this section discusses how the idea of a critical period for brain development has been disproven through experiments showing that adult brains can change under certain conditions. It also highlights how paying attention to specific experiences is crucial for opening up plasticity.

Introduction to Brain Change

In this section, the speaker introduces the concept of brain change and explains that in order to change the brain, one must pay careful attention. The two neurochemicals that are released when we pay careful attention are epinephrine and acetylcholine.

Paying Attention is Key to Changing the Brain

• Building a greater range of emotion, learning new information or motor skills requires paying careful attention.

• Epinephrine and acetylcholine are two neurochemicals that are released from multiple sites in our brain when we pay careful attention.

• Epinephrine wakes up the entire brain by increasing the likelihood that neurons will be active.

• Acetylcholine amplifies sensory input when we pay attention.

The Role of Acetylcholine in Neuroplasticity

This section focuses on acetylcholine's role in neuroplasticity. The speaker explains how acetylcholine is released from two sites in the brain and amplifies sensory input when we pay attention.

Acetylcholine Amplifies Sensory Input

• Acetylcholine is released from two sites in the brain: one is located in the brainstem and sends wires up into the area of the brain that filters sensory input.

• When we pay attention to something, like honing in on a sound, acetylcholine amplifies its signal.

The Role of Epinephrine in Neuroplasticity

This section focuses on epinephrine's role in neuroplasticity. The speaker explains that epinephrine wakes up the entire brain and increases the likelihood that neurons will be active.

Epinephrine Wakes Up the Entire Brain

• Epinephrine is released from a region in the brainstem called locus coeruleus, which sends out axons to hose the entire brain with epinephrine.

• Epinephrine increases the likelihood that neurons will be active, but alertness alone is not sufficient for neuroplasticity.

Learning During Sleep

This section discusses learning during sleep. The speaker explains that simply listening to things while asleep does not lead to learning, but there are certain things you can do in your sleep to enhance learning of things you were aware of while awake.

Learning During Sleep

• Listening to things while asleep does not lead to learning.

• There are certain things you can do in your sleep to enhance learning of things you were aware of while awake.

Acetylcholine, Epinephrine and Nucleus Basalis

In this section, the speaker discusses the three components necessary to induce plasticity in the brain. These are acetylcholine released from two sources (brainstem and nucleus basalis), and epinephrine.

Components of Plasticity

• Acetylcholine spotlighting inputs is not enough to get plasticity.

• The third component needed for plasticity is acetylcholine released from nucleus basalis.

• When you stimulate these three brain regions (locus coeruleus, brainstem source of acetylcholine, basal forebrain source of acetylcholine), whatever you happen to be listening to or doing immediately takes over the representation of a particular area of the brain.

• This has been shown again and again in a variety of papers by Norman Weinberger from UC Irvine.

Accessing Plasticity

In this section, the speaker talks about how one can access plasticity through various means such as behavioral practices, pharmacology, and brain-machine interface.

Behavioral Practices

• Master your sleep schedule and figure out how much sleep you need in order to achieve alertness when you sit down to learn.

• One can combine behavioral practices with pharmacology or brain-machine interface.

Pharmacology

• No bullet points available within range.

Brain-Machine Interface

• No bullet points available within range.

Motivation and Attention

In this section, the speaker discusses how to motivate oneself to make changes and how to create depth of focus.

Creating Motivation

• Some people use psychological tricks like creating accountability or posting pictures online to motivate themselves.

• Positive reinforcement can be used for motivation, but fear-based motivations can also be effective.

• Epinephrine is a chemical that promotes autonomic arousal and is released regardless of whether the motivation is love-based or fear-based.

Identifying Reasons for Change

• It's important to identify multiple reasons for wanting to make a change, including both fear-based and love-based motivations.

• Dopamine can be accessed while working towards goals, but positive reinforcement should not be relied on too heavily.

Creating Depth of Focus

• Smartphones and devices can contribute to attention deficit in many people.

• There are neuroscience principles that can help with creating depth of focus.

• Nicotine can increase levels of acetylcholine, which is involved in attention and alertness.

Nicotine and Acetylcholine

In this section, the speaker discusses the effects of nicotine on alertness and focus. They also discuss how acetylcholine affects plasticity and ways to increase it.

Nicotine's Effects on Alertness and Focus

• Nicotine increases alertness and focus.

• Chewing Nicorette can make some people jittery and unable to focus.

• Some people use cholinergic drugs to increase their level of focus.

Acetylcholine's Role in Plasticity

• There are supplements that can increase cholinergic transmission in the brain.

• Increasing acetylcholine can create a window of attention and focus that is distinct from the rest of your day, which is what creates potential for plasticity.

• Examine.com provides a list of supplements that increase acetylcholine as well as dangers associated with them.

Ways to Increase Acetylcholine

• Visual focus can be used to increase mental focus abilities more broadly.

• Mental focus follows visual focus, so increasing visual focus can help improve mental focus abilities.

• The best way to get better at focusing is to use the mechanisms of focus that you were born with.

Caffeine and Adderall

The section discusses the effects of caffeine and Adderall on the body, their differences, and potential risks.

Caffeine

• Caffeine can be a safe way to increase epinephrine if it does not interfere with sleep.

Adderall

• Adderall is chemically similar to amphetamine and increases epinephrine release from locus coeruleus. It wakes up the brain and increases alertness.

• It has a high probability of abuse, especially in those who are not prescribed it. It does not increase focus but rather alertness.

• Learning on Adderall does not always translate to high-performance off or on Adderall at later times.

Acetylcholine System and Visual Focus

This section discusses how visual focus is anchored in the acetylcholine system and how it can be used to develop great depth and duration of focus.

Visual Focus

• Behavioral practices anchored in visual focus allow for developing great depth and duration of focus.

• When we focus visually, we have two options: look at a small region with detail or dilate our gaze to see big pieces with little detail.

• Our acuity is much better in the center of our visual field than our periphery due to higher receptor density.

• Focusing our eyes involves aligning them towards a common point while moving the lens so that our brain sees only a small cone of visual imagery.

Focus and the Brain

This section discusses how focus in the brain is anchored to our visual system and how animals with their eyes on the side of their head scan the entire visual environment all the time.

Visual Attention

• Focus in the brain is anchored to our visual system, so learning to focus better visually can bring about higher levels of cognitive or mental focus.

• Animals with their eyes on the side of their head scan the entire visual environment all the time. They are not focused on anything.

How to Improve Your Ability to Focus

In this section, the speaker explains how birds focus their visual system and how humans can practice focusing their visual system to improve their ability to concentrate.

Birds' Visual System

• Birds lower their head and move their eyes inward in a vergence eye movement to focus on a particular target.

• This inward eye movement triggers the release of norepinephrine, epinephrine, and acetylcholine in the brainstem.

• Focusing on a particular target increases visual acuity and activates brain areas associated with gathering information from that location.

Practicing Visual Focus

• Practicing focusing your visual system can improve your ability to concentrate.

• To practice effectively, focus on a small window of your screen at the precise distance from the work you intend to do.

• The finer the visual image and the more you hold your gaze on it, the higher your levels of attention will be.

Blinking and Mental Focus

• Blinks reset our perception of time and space and are necessary for lubricating our eyes.

• Blinking less can help maintain mental focus by creating a cone or tunnel of concentration.

The Importance of Alertness and Focus

In this section, the speaker discusses the importance of alertness and focus in learning. He explains how mental tricks, pharmacology, hydration, and visual focus can help increase alertness. He also talks about how visual focus is the primary way to deploy neurochemicals.

Alertness

• Mental tricks of motivation, fear or love can help increase alertness.

• Pharmacology can also be used to increase alertness but should be done healthfully. Caffeine is an example of a substance that can be used for this purpose.

• Being well hydrated increases alertness as well.

Visual Focus

• Visual focus is the primary way in which we start to deploy neurochemicals.

• Closing your eyes is one of the best ways to create a cone of auditory attention when learning with your auditory system.

• People who are non-sighted have better pitch because they have tremendous capacity to focus their attention in particular locations using cones of attention that they devote through hearing or touch.

Building Focus

In this section, the speaker talks about building focus by staring at something for long periods without blinking and controlling your visual window.

Building Focus

• You will feel some agitation because of epinephrine in your system when you try to build focus on something you're trying to learn. If it's challenging to focus and you're feeling like you're not doing it right chances are you're doing it right.

• Practicing the ability to stare for long periods without blinking can be an immensely powerful portal into these mechanisms of plasticity.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

In this section, the speaker talks about ADHD and ADD.

ADHD

• People who have clinically diagnosed ADD and ADHD should work with a good psychiatrist to figure out the right pharmacology and/or behavioral practices for them.

• Many people have given themselves a low grade ADHD or ADD because of the way they move through their world, such as looking at their phone a lot of the time.

The Importance of Focusing on Challenging Tasks

In this section, the speaker discusses how our attentional system is naturally drawn to visual motion and how this can impact our ability to focus on tasks that involve reading or listening. He emphasizes the importance of devoting neurochemical resources to challenging tasks that enrich and better us.

Visual Motion vs. Challenging Tasks

• A movie is worth 10,000 pictures and our attentional system is naturally drawn towards visual motion.

• It's harder for many people to read words on a page because they're used to seeing things spelled out in YouTube videos or other videos with dramatic motion.

• The more we watch movies with intense visuals, the worse we become at attending to things like text on a page or listening to podcasts and extracting information.

Passive Experiences vs. Active Learning

• Devoting all our neurochemical resources to passive experiences like watching movies can limit our ability to engage in active learning that enriches us.

• While movies and TV content are enjoyable, it's important to think carefully about how often we focus on them versus challenging tasks that help us grow and cultivate smarter, more emotionally evolved individuals.

Maintaining Focus During Learning Sessions

In this section, the speaker discusses the importance of maintaining focus during learning sessions and provides tips for eliminating distractions.

Ultradian Cycles for Learning

• Typical learning sessions should last about 90 minutes with a warm-up period of 5-10 minutes at the beginning.

• During the middle hour or so of a learning session, one should be able to maintain focus for about an hour.

Eliminating Distractions

• To maintain focus during a learning session, it's important to eliminate distractions like turning off the wifi and putting the phone in another room or even outside of the house.

• If necessary, more drastic measures can be taken like locking the phone in the car or throwing it on the roof for a period of time.

The Importance of Sleep for Learning

In this section, the speaker discusses how sleep is crucial for learning and neuroplasticity. He explains that while focus during wakefulness is important, neuroplasticity occurs during sleep. The speaker also introduces the concept of Non Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) protocols as a way to bypass the need for deep sleep.

Neuroplasticity Occurs During Sleep

• Neuroplasticity doesn't occur during wakefulness but during sleep.

• Neural circuits highlighted with acetylcholine transmission will strengthen while asleep.

• If you don't get deep sleep, you probably won't get those changes.

Non Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR)

• NSDR protocols can accelerate learning and improve memory retention.

• Engaging in self-generated optic flow activities like walking or running can also be a form of NSDR.

How Many Bouts of Learning Can I Perform?

In this section, the speaker discusses how many bouts of learning one can perform and how to recover from intense bouts of focused learning. He also talks about engaging in motor activity to recover from intense bouts of focused learning.

Number of Bouts of Learning

• Some people train up visual focus mechanisms to do several 90-minute bouts throughout the day.

• It's best to engage in self-generated optic flow activities after intense bouts of focused learning.

Neuroplasticity and Accelerated Learning

In this section, Dr. Huberman discusses the importance of letting the mind drift after a period of deliberate focused effort to accelerate learning and depth of learning. He also synthesizes some of the information covered in previous episodes about neuroplasticity.

Key Elements of Neuroplasticity

• Plasticity occurs throughout the lifespan.

• Early exposure to sensory events can create plasticity, which could be good or bad.

• To learn as an adult, one must be alert during their 24-hour cycle.

• There are four episodes devoted to understanding the cycles of alertness and sleep.

Attention and Visual Focus

• Attention is critical for creating conditions where whatever you engage in will modify your brain in a way that you won't have to spend so much attention on it going forward.

• Practicing how long you can maintain visual focus on a target is important for high levels of visual focus necessary for cognitive information.

Engaging Cholinergic System

• Increasing acetylcholine can be accomplished pharmacologically through nicotine but there are certain dangers associated with it.

• Learning how to engage the cholinergic system through the use of the visual system is important.

Listening Skills

• If you really want somebody to listen to you and really hear what you're saying and what's underlying it, you should not expect them to look directly at you while doing that.

Learning and Plasticity

In this section, the speaker discusses how to improve learning and plasticity through various practices.

Combining Protocols

• Combining pharmacology with learning practices can be effective.

• Drinking coffee before learning is a natural way to combine protocols.

Duration of Learning Bouts

• Individuals should ask themselves if they are giving up their best period of focus to other activities that do not serve them well.

• It is important to consider the duration of learning bouts.

Focusing for Too Long

• High-performing individuals take breaks throughout the day and engage in non-focused activities such as walking or biking.

• We learn best in 90-minute bouts inside one of these ultradian cycles.

Resting After Learning

• Non-sleep deep rest or deliberate disengagement after a learning bout accelerates the rate of plasticity.

• Deep sleep is also crucial for accessing plasticity.

Positive Experiences and Repetition

• There are two types of plasticity: extreme focus on emotionality and repetition incorporating dopamine reward system.

• Positive experiences can lead to incredible plasticity by engaging in high-focus regimes followed by rest, non-sleep deep rest, and sleep.

Movement-Based Practices

• The next episode will explore movement-based practices for enhancing plasticity and movement itself.

• These practices are not high attention or high emotionality but rather involve repetition.

Neuroplasticity Discussion

In this section, the speaker concludes the discussion on neuroplasticity and encourages viewers to ask questions in the comment section. The speaker also provides information on how to support the Huberman Lab Podcast and recommends Thorne supplements.

Questions and Support

• Please put your questions in the comment section below.

• Viewers can support the Huberman Lab Podcast by subscribing on YouTube, hitting the notification button, leaving a comment, giving a 5-star rating on Apple, or recommending it to others.

• Thorne supplements are recommended due to their high levels of product quality and precision about supplement content. Viewers can get 20% off any supplements purchased at thorne.com/u/huberman.

Magnesium Supplements

• Magnesium glycinate and magnesium threonate are interchangeable supplements that can aid with sleep.