In this episode we discuss cutting edge brain hacks that sound like they are straight out of science fiction. Is it possible to use technology to rapidly change the structure of your brain? How does your brain actually learn? What is neuroplasticity and why is it so important? What are the key things you can do in your life to improve your brain health, memory and performance? We discuss all of this, along with a truly innovative technology that may be the key to unlocking super performance and massively accelerating your learning with our guest Dr. Daniel Chao. Dr. Daniel Chao is a neurotech entrepreneur, specializing in devices that improve brain performance. He is the co-founder and CEO of Halo Neuroscience. The company’s first product, Halo Sport, is the first neurostimulation system built specifically for athletes. Before Halo, Dr. Chao was the head of business development at NeuroPace, and a consultant at McKinsey & Company.Your brain is a living computer chip that can create new circuits on demandYour brain is “plastic” The Nobel prize in the year 2000 went to the scientists who discovered neuroplasticity and the mechanisms behind itNeuroplasticity is the process by which the brain learnsWhat actually happens in the brain when you are learning a new skill?What happens to the brain and your neural connections when you learn a new skill?Focused, repetitive, deliberate practice starts to build thicker and thicker and faster and faster neural connections Repetition is the foundation of practice - you’re literally building physical connections in your brain that get stronger and stronger, the more you repeat that practice The first time you learn something it’s like hacking a path through the jungle with a machete, then it’s like hiking through tough brush, then it’s a dirt road, then it becomes a paved road, then ultimately a highway and a superhighway “Myleanation”- the cabling inside the brain The brain is a plastic organ and it adapts to your needs Repeated practice, learning, and thoughts literally change the physical structure of your brain The brain is literally built on the principle of “use it or lose it” - if you aren’t using your brain, those parts atrophy and shrink What are some strategies we can implement to optimize our brain and improve our brain health?Sleep is one of the most important and obvious strategies for optimizing and improving brain health. Your day is “unequal”- you have better executive function in the first part of the day. Prioritize the most difficult and most important work in the early part of the day because you will be at a cognitive peak. How can we take advantage of emerging brain science to “hack” the brain or “hack” learning? What if you put electrodes into your brain to stimulate learning and memory?Starting in our late teens, our ability to learn stats to decline - can we use cutting edge science to reverse that?If you use electrical stimulation on your brain - it opens up about an hour of “hyper plasticity”- a super learning window Slapping a “motor cortex neurostimulator” onto your brain - can be for any physical activity, playing violin, shooting a gun, playing video games, performing surgery etc What happens to the additional “lift” in learning you get from neurostimulation? How “durable” is that learning?The safety data for neurostimulation is incredibly robust- over 250,000 neurostimulation sessions its incredibly safe, there are over 4000 scientific articles about the safety of neurostimulation Homework: Sleep, exercise is GREAT for brain health.

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