Huberman Lab

Podcast Notes Check out the Huberman Lab episode page

• The brain and its functions are the results of genetics and experience
• Sensory neurons are taking information from the outside world and filter through systems of the body to make meaning
• Location of sensory input (e.g., eyes, feet, fingertips, etc.) doesn’t matter – it all becomes electrical signals flowing in
• All the different parts of the brain are working through the world to make sense of our environment and keep us alive
• The paradox of the brain: areas of the brain are multi-functioning and interactive – but also highly specialized in arrangement and processing
• Our circadian system provides an internal sense of the earth’s rotation by processing light – it affects everything from sleep and hormones to appetite and mood
• The general rule of light viewing: get as much light as you can anytime you want to be alert, avoid light when you want to sleep
• Motion sickness is a mismatch between retina and brain – our eyes might be looking down at our phone or a book, but our brain knows we’re moving forward in ways outside of our control

Read the full notes @ podcastnotes.org



In this episode, my guest is Dr. David Berson, Professor & Chairman of Neuroscience at Brown University. Dr. Berson discovered the neurons in your eye that set your biological rhythms for sleep, wakefulness, mood and appetite. He is also a world-renowned teacher of basic and advanced neuroscience, having taught thousands of university lectures on this topic. Many of his students have become world-leading neuroscientists and teachers themselves. 

Here Dr. Berson takes us on a structured journey into and around the nervous system, explaining: how we perceive the world and our internal landscape, how we balance, see, and remember. Also, how we learn and perform reflexive and deliberate actions, how we visualize and imagine in our mind, and how the various circuits of the brain coordinate all these incredible feats. 

We discuss practical and real-life examples of neural circuit function across the lifespan. Dr. Berson gives us a masterclass in the nervous system—one that, in just less than two hours, will teach you an entire course's worth about the brain and how yours works.

 

Thank you to our sponsors:

• Athletic Greens - https://athleticgreens.com/huberman 
• InsideTracker - https://insidetracker.com/huberman 
• Magic Spoon - https://magicspoon.com/huberman 

 

Our Patreon page:

• https://www.patreon.com/andrewhuberman 

 

Supplements from Thorne:

• http://www.thorne.com/u/huberman 

 

Social:

• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab 
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/hubermanlab 
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab 
• Website - https://hubermanlab.com 
• Newsletter - https://hubermanlab.com/neural-network 

 

Links:

• InsideTracker Interview - https://blog.insidetracker.com/longevity-by-design-andrew-huberman 
• Dr. Berson's Webpage - 
• https://vivo.brown.edu/display/dberson 
• Eyewire - (Contribute to Neuroscience Research from Home/Computer -
• https://eyewire.org/explore  
• Best Neuroscience Textbook (NOTE this is a TEXTBOOK) - https://amzn.to/3lZWrL4 
• Book - We Know It When We See It by Richard Masland - https://amzn.to/31S60Vp 

 

Timestamps:

• 00:00:00 Dr. David Berson 
• 00:02:55 Sponsors: Athletic Greens, InsideTracker, Magic Spoon 
• 00:08:02 How We See 
• 00:10:02 Color Vision 
• 00:13:47 “Strange” Vision
• 00:16:56 How You Orient In Time
• 00:25:45 Body Rhythms, Pineal function, Light & Melatonin, Blueblockers
• 00:34:45 Spending Times Outdoors Improves Eyesight 
• 00:36:20 Sensation, Mood, & Self-Image
• 00:41:03 Sense of Balance
• 00:50:43 Why Pigeons Bob Their Heads, Motion Sickness 
• 01:00:03 Popping Ears
• 01:02:35 Midbrain & Blindsight 
• 01:10:44 Why Tilted Motion Feels Good 
• 01:13:24 Reflexes vs. Deliberate Actions
• 01:16:35 Basal Ganglia & the “2 Marshmallow Test”
• 01:24:40 Suppressing Reflexes: Cortex 
• 01:33:33 Neuroplasticity 
• 01:36:27 What is a Connectome?
• 01:45:20 How to Learn (More About the Brain)
• 01:49:04 Book Suggestion, my Berson Appreciation
• 01:50:20 Zero-Cost ways to Support the HLP, Guest Suggestions, Sponsors, Patreon, Thorne

 

Please note that The Huberman Lab Podcast is distinct from Dr. Huberman's teaching and research roles at Stanford University School of Medicine. The information provided in this show is not medical advice, nor should it be taken or applied as a replacement for medical advice. The Huberman Lab Podcast, its employees, guests and affiliates assume no liability for the application of the information discussed.

 

Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac - https://www.blabacphoto.com