How to Focus to Change Your Brain | Huberman Lab Podcast #6

Summary

• Welcome to the Huberman Lab Podcast
• InsideTracker is a personalized nutrition platform that analyzes blood and DNA factors to help you create a personalized health plan
• Headspace is a meditation app that makes it easy to meditate consistently
• Madefor is a behavioral science company that helps bring about positive behavioral change through a 10-month subscription program
• The goal of today's podcast is to discuss the role of focus in changing the brain
• The brain is malleable and can be changed through experience and training
• Focusing on something can change the brain and the body
• The ability to focus and maintain attention is important for learning and problem-solving
• Distractions and multitasking can disrupt focus and hinder learning
• Strategies to improve focus include mindfulness, setting aside dedicated focus time, and minimizing distractions
• Practice can improve focus and change the brain
• The nervous system changes when certain neurochemicals are released, which allow active neurons to strengthen or weaken their connections
• David Hubel and Torsten Wiesel studied neuroplasticity in the visual cortex in the 1970s and 1980s, discovering a critical period in which clear vision is necessary for the visual brain to develop correctly
• The brain is a customized map of the outside world, which measures the amount of activity for a given part of the body and allocates space in the brain accordingly
• In order to change the nervous system in adulthood, it is necessary to give up something in order to make room for new connections
• Transient visual deprivation in early development leads to changes in the visual system and increased sensitivity to visual input
• Neuroplasticity occurs throughout the lifespan, with some critical periods in development, but it is also possible to create new connections and reorganize the brain through experience and learning
• Stress and emotions can affect neuroplasticity by releasing certain neurochemicals
• It is possible to intentionally influence neuroplasticity through activities such as meditation, physical exercise, and learning new skills
• The adult brain is very plastic, meaning it is capable of changing and adapting in response to new experiences
• For plasticity to occur, the brain must pay careful attention to the new experience
• The neurochemical epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) is released when the brain is in a state of high alertness and helps to highlight neural circuits that may be able to change in response to the new experience
• The neurochemical norepinephrine is also released when the brain is in a state of high alertness and helps to consolidate and stabilize changes that occur in the neural circuits as a result of the new experience
• Plasticity in the brain can be used to learn new things, such as a new language or motor skills, or to modify emotions or experiences
• The process of inducing plasticity in the brain can be enhanced through techniques such as spaced repetition, interleaving, and varied practice.
• People can monitor and change their nervous system through brain machine interface, pharmacology, and behavioral practices
• It is possible to combine behavioral practices with pharmacology and brain machine interface, but the speaker is not a physician and does not prescribe anything
• Sleep is important for achieving alertness and being able to engage in focused learning
• Epinephrine, a chemical that promotes alertness, is released in response to love, hate, anger, and fear
• It is important to identify multiple reasons for wanting to make a change, and to be motivated by excitement and avoiding shame or fear
• Dopamine, a molecule that gives a sense of reward, can become a trap if it is the only motivator for a task or goal
• The prefrontal cortex is important for making plans and setting goals, and can be improved through learning and other activities
• Neuroplasticity, the ability of the brain to change and adapt, can be improved through learning and other activities such as pharmacology and brain machine interface
• Acetylcholine is a molecule that controls nerve-to-muscle contraction and affects reflexes and mental acuity
• Nicotinic transmission controls acetylcholine release
• Ways to increase acetylcholine include focusing and using visual focus to increase mental focus
• Alertness can come from a variety of sources, including caffeine and Adderall
• Adderall increases alertness, but does not increase focus and can be habit-forming
• Behavioral practices that use visual focus can increase mental focus and access neuroplasticity
• To focus, it can be helpful to minimize distractions, use a comfortable and appropriate workspace, and use a specific focus technique such as the "centering breath" or "soft gaze"
• Visual focus can improve attention and brain activity
• Blinking can reset perception of time and space, and can also help to maintain mental focus
• Alertness can be increased through motivation, pharmacology, and hydration
• Visual focus is an important factor in deploying neurochemicals related to learning
• Listening intently often involves closing one's eyes
• Acetylcholine and epinephrine release mechanisms can be triggered through passive experiences like watching movies or scrolling Instagram, but it is important to consider whether these experiences are enriching and beneficial for personal growth and physical wellbeing
• To maintain focus, it is helpful to eliminate distractions and limit access to phones or other devices
• Neuroplasticity, or the ability of the brain to change and adapt, occurs during sleep, not during wakefulness
• Focusing on learning for 90 minutes or more, possibly in multiple sessions per day, can lead to permanent acquisition of knowledge, but this knowledge can also be actively unlearned in the future.
• Sleep is important for strengthening neural circuits and consolidating learning.
• Attention is important for learning and can be improved through practice
• Attention can be affected by different stages of the 24-hour cycle, and can be supported through behavioral and pharmacologic practices (such as caffeine and hydration)
• Attention can be focused through the visual or auditory system, depending on the task at hand
• Combining pharmacology with learning practices can be effective, but it is important to consider the length and timing of learning sessions and to take breaks as needed
• High-performing individuals do not maintain focus all day long, and taking breaks can be beneficial for maintaining attention and productivity
• If experiencing difficulty with attention or learning, it may be helpful to see a clinician and to consider the timing, length, and content of learning sessions.
• The speaker is promoting a discount code for the website orne.com/u/huberman
• The discount is 20% off supplements
• The speaker takes magnesium glycinate and magnesium threonate supplements
• The speaker mentions using magnesium threonate as a sleep aid
• The speaker thanks the listener for their interest in science.