How to Focus to Change Your Brain | Huberman Lab Essentials

Huberman Lab Essentials; Neuroplasticity (0s)

• Neuroplasticity is the brain and nervous system's ability to change itself in response to experience, allowing individuals to think differently, learn new things, forget painful experiences, and adapt to life's challenges (23s).
• The nervous system is designed to change and is primed for learning from birth, with the brain and nervous system of a baby being wired very crudely and having imprecise connections (1m2s).
• Through experience and exposure to various stimuli, the nervous system becomes customized to an individual's unique experience, with certain parts of the brain being designed to represent the outside world (2m0s).
• However, some aspects of the nervous system, such as those controlling heartbeat, breathing, and digestion, are not designed to be plastic and are unlikely to change (2m20s).
• Other aspects of the nervous system are easy to change, especially during childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood, when learning can occur through almost passive experience (2m54s).
• After age 25, changing connections in the brain requires engaging in specific processes that are gated, meaning that changing the brain requires a series of steps to change the internal state (3m10s).
• The brain's ability to change is influenced by factors such as social interactions, thoughts, languages learned, and places traveled, which shape the nervous system's unique connections (1m46s).
• Andrew Huberman, a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine, emphasizes the importance of neuroplasticity in adapting to life's challenges and improving mental and physical health (15s).

New Neurons; Sensory Information, Brain & Customized Map (3m27s)

• The human brain and nervous system add very few, if any, new neurons after puberty, contradicting popular claims that exercise or running can create new neurons throughout one's lifespan (3m43s).
• Despite the limited addition of new neurons, the nervous system is capable of change, and the right chemical and environmental circumstances can shift it into a mode where change is probable (4m12s).
• The child nervous system is characterized by its ability to change, and one way to achieve plasticity at any stage of life is through deficits or impairments in sensory apparati, such as the eyes, ears, nose, or mouth (4m20s).
• In individuals who are blind from birth, the visual cortex can become overtaken by hearing and respond to sounds and Braille touch, demonstrating the brain's ability to adapt and reorganize (4m38s).
• Blind people who use their visual cortex for Braille reading and hearing often have better auditory and touch acuity, and a higher incidence of perfect pitch, highlighting the brain's ability to create a customized map of individual experience (5m37s).
• The neocortex, the outer part of the brain, is designed to be a map of individual experience, and experiments of impairment or loss, such as blindness or deafness, demonstrate the brain's ability to represent the body plan and adapt to individual circumstances (5m41s).
• The brain's real estate, particularly the neocortex, is capable of creating a customized map of experience, allowing it to adapt and change in response to individual circumstances (6m21s).

Recognition, Awareness of Behaviors (6m24s)

• Recognizing the need for change is the first step in neuroplasticity, whether it's an emotional issue, a desire to learn something new, or a behavior that needs to be modified (7m17s).
• A personal experience illustrates the power of recognition, where a woman's awareness of her stress response to a specific tone of voice led to increased tolerance over time (6m34s).
• The recognition process involves the forebrain, particularly the prefrontal cortex, signaling the rest of the nervous system to pay attention to something that is about to be experienced (8m27s).
• This awareness cues the brain and nervous system that reflexive actions are no longer automatic, allowing for potential changes in behavior or reactions (7m49s).
• To initiate change, it's essential to know exactly what needs to be changed or, at the very least, be aware that a change is desired in a specific experience (8m8s).
• Protocols for implementing change will be discussed, as science has identified specific steps that must be followed for changes to occur (8m22s).
• The process of recognition and awareness can lead to significant changes, as seen in the personal experience where the woman and the speaker became friends despite initial difficulties (7m16s).
• Automatic behaviors, such as walking, are learned during development and don't require conscious thought, but recognizing the need for change in other areas can lead to new learning and adaptation (7m28s).

Attention & Neuroplasticity (8m42s)

• The idea that every experience changes the brain is a misconception, as the nervous system only changes when certain neurochemicals are released, allowing neurons to strengthen or weaken their connections, and this typically occurs in young children, not adults (8m45s).
• For adults, brain changes require a selective shift in attention or experience, and these changes occur through strengthening and weakening of particular connections, emphasizing the importance of attention in driving change (9m33s).
• Research by Gregg Recanzone and Mike Merzenich in the 1990s demonstrated that the adult brain can change, provided certain conditions are met, through experiments that tested the brain's ability to reorganize in response to new experiences (10m17s).
• In one experiment, subjects were asked to press a lever when they detected subtle changes in the distance between bumps on a spinning drum, and as they paid attention to the distance, rapid changes in the representation of the fingers occurred, demonstrating plasticity in the adult brain (11m11s).
• The experiment showed that the brain's maps of touch are available for plasticity, and that attention is necessary for change, as subjects who focused on an auditory cue instead of the bumps did not exhibit plasticity in the touch portion of the brain (12m23s).
• The findings contradict the idea that every experience changes the brain, and instead suggest that only experiences that receive careful attention can open up plasticity and drive change (13m5s).
• The research highlights the importance of attention in driving neuroplasticity, and demonstrates that the adult brain is capable of reorganizing and adapting in response to new experiences (12m12s).

Epinephrine, Acetylcholine & Nervous System Change (13m16s)

• Epinephrine, also known as adrenaline, is a neurochemical released from the locus ceruleus region in the brainstem, and it plays a crucial role in alertness and attention, which is essential for brain plasticity (13m29s).
• Epinephrine is chemically identical to adrenaline, which is released from the adrenal glands above the kidneys, but it is referred to as epinephrine when released in the brain (13m39s).
• Acetylcholine is another neuromodulator that is released from two sites in the brain: the brainstem, specifically the parabigeminal nucleus or parabrachial region, and the forebrain, specifically the nucleus basalis of Meynert (14m1s).
• Acetylcholine acts as a spotlight, filtering sensory input and increasing the signal-to-noise ratio, allowing specific information to be processed and prioritized (14m53s).
• The combination of epinephrine, acetylcholine from the brainstem, and acetylcholine from the nucleus basalis is necessary for brain plasticity and change, and this has been consistently shown in various studies (15m27s).
• The release of these three components is a fundamental principle of how the nervous system works, and accessing them can lead to changes in the brain (15m39s).
• The presence of epinephrine, acetylcholine from the brainstem, and acetylcholine from the nucleus basalis not only allows for but necessitates changes in the nervous system (15m44s).

Improve Alertness, Epinephrine, Tool: Accountability (15m56s)

• To access brain plasticity, it's essential to have epinephrine, which can be achieved through alertness, often obtained by mastering sleep schedules and figuring out individual sleep needs to feel alert when learning (16m23s).
• Some people use psychological techniques to access alertness, such as creating accountability by telling others about their goals or posting about them online, which can be effective in promoting motivation (16m44s).
• Accountability can be created through shame-based practices, such as posting about goals online to avoid embarrassment if not followed through, or by writing checks to organizations that will be cashed if goals are not met (17m1s).
• Alternatively, accountability can be created out of love, such as devoting a goal to someone or something, which can also promote motivation and epinephrine release (17m8s).
• From a chemical standpoint, the brain does not distinguish between motivations based on love, hate, anger, or fear, as all these emotions promote autonomic arousal and epinephrine release (17m26s).
• To increase motivation, it's recommended to identify multiple reasons for making a change, including being drawn to a goal and being motivated by fear of not following through (17m44s).
• Having two or three motivations, whether fear-based, love-based, or a combination, can help ensure alertness, energy, and attention for a task (18m4s).

Improve Attention, Acetylcholine, Nicotine (18m15s)

• Increasing acetylcholine levels in the brain can improve focus and attention, but it's challenging to achieve this outside of a laboratory setting, especially with the prevalence of smartphones and devices that can create attention deficits (18m32s).
• Nicotine can increase acetylcholine levels by binding to nicotinic receptors, which are involved in attention and alertness, and some people, including a Nobel Prize-winning colleague, use Nicorette to improve focus (19m25s).
• However, relying on nicotine or similar substances can be problematic, as it can lead to over-reliance and decreased ability to focus without them, and it's essential to create a window of attention and focus distinct from the rest of the day (19m49s).
• A more effective way to improve focus is to use the mechanisms of focus that you were born with, and a key principle is that mental focus follows visual focus (20m11s).
• The visual system can be unfocused or laser-focused, and using visual focus can increase mental focus abilities more broadly, making it a vital aspect of accessing neuroplasticity (20m28s).
• Increasing visual focus can be a way to improve mental focus abilities, and techniques for achieving this will be explained (20m39s).

Tool: Visual Focus & Mental Focus (20m45s)

• Plasticity starts with alertness, which can be triggered by emotions such as love, joy, or fear, as well as pharmacologically through substances like caffeine, although caffeine only increases alertness and not focus (20m45s).
• Adderall is another substance that increases alertness but does not affect the acetylcholine system, which is crucial for focus (21m1s).
• The acetylcholine system can be accessed through behavioral practices, particularly those involving visual focus, which can help develop great depth and duration of focus (21m14s).
• When focusing visually, there are two options: looking at a small region of space with high detail and precision or dilating the gaze to see a larger visual space with less detail (21m30s).
• The pupil and the fovea of the eye are responsible for perceiving light and achieving high acuity in the center of the visual field (21m52s).
• When focusing the eyes, they tend to align in the center of the visual field, and the lens of the eye moves to create a small cone of visual imagery with higher acuity (22m6s).
• This visual focus is linked to mental attention, and learning to focus better visually can lead to higher levels of cognitive or mental focus (22m42s).
• Moving the eyes slightly inward, shortening the interpupillary distance, can activate neurons in the brain stem that trigger the release of norepinephrine, epinephrine, and acetylcholine (23m0s).
• This release of neurotransmitters is associated with increased visual focus and plasticity in the brain (23m53s).
• Practicing visual focus, particularly at the precise distance from the work intended for plasticity, can help improve mental focus and concentration (24m10s).
• Focusing visual attention on a small window of a screen for 60 to 120 seconds can increase visual acuity and activity in brain areas associated with gathering information from that location (24m32s).
• Practicing visual focus can improve one's ability to focus, as it brings about an increase in activity in brain areas associated with gathering information (25m0s).
• When learning through the auditory system, people often close their eyes to create a cone of auditory attention, as the visual system can take over and distract from the auditory information (25m20s).
• Closing one's eyes is an effective way to focus attention and is commonly used by individuals with low or no vision, who have developed a strong capacity to focus their attention in particular locations (25m41s).
• For most people, vision is the primary way to train focus ability and create cones of attention, making it essential to focus on the thing being learned (25m53s).
• When trying to focus, it is normal to feel agitation due to epinephrine in the system, and this discomfort can be a sign that one is doing it right (26m2s).

Tool: Ultradian Cycles, Anchoring Attention (26m13s)

• Once epinephrine and acetylcholine are released, allowing focus, the next question is how long one can maintain focus, with research suggesting that the typical learning bout should last around 90 minutes (26m18s).
• A learning bout typically includes a 5-10 minute warm-up period, during which it's normal not to be fully focused, but the middle hour should allow for maintained focus (26m29s).
• To maintain focus, it's essential to eliminate distractions, such as turning off Wi-Fi and putting away phones (26m46s).
• Immersing oneself in an activity and continually bringing back drifting attention is crucial, as attention naturally drifts but can be re-anchored (27m0s).
• For sighted individuals, maintaining visual focus on the task at hand is key to re-anchoring attention and triggering plasticity (27m7s).
• The process of re-anchoring attention involves continually grabbing it back when it drifts, which is an essential point in maintaining focus (27m4s).
• The middle hour of a 90-minute learning bout is the most critical period for maintaining focus, allowing for about an hour of sustained attention (26m42s).

Sleep & Neuroplasticity; NSDR, Naps (27m19s)

• Neuroplasticity occurs during sleep, not wakefulness, and is strengthened when neural circuits highlighted with acetylcholine transmission are reinforced during sleep (27m26s).
• Focusing hard on something for about 90 minutes, with some people doing several bouts per day, can lead to the strengthening of neural circuits and the loss of others, which is the essence of plasticity (27m28s).
• Mastering sleep is key to reinforcing learning, and even a poor night of sleep after a bout of learning can be compensated for by a good night's sleep the following night (28m8s).
• A "stamp" in the brain, marked by the release of acetylcholine, biases synapses to change, making it more likely for learning to occur even with a poor night's sleep (28m21s).
• Non-sleep deep rest (NSDR) protocols can partially bypass the need for deep sleep, allowing for accelerated learning (28m37s).
• A study published in Cell Reports found that people who took a 20-minute NSDR protocol or a shallow nap after learning a spatial memory task showed significantly higher rates of learning than those who had a good night's sleep the following night (28m48s).
• Brief naps of 90 minutes or less can also accelerate learning, and letting the mind drift after a period of focused effort can be an effective way to deepen learning (29m38s).

Recap & Key Takeaways (29m53s)

• Neuroplasticity occurs throughout a person's lifespan, and to learn effectively as an adult, one must be alert and aware of when they are most alert during their 24-hour cycle (30m4s).
• Identifying the most alert period of the day can provide an advantage in learning specific things during that time, and it is essential to utilize this period for meaningful activities aligned with one's goals (30m23s).
• The release of epinephrine from the brain stem occurs more readily at particular phases of the 24-hour cycle, specifically during the waking phase, and it is crucial to be aware of these phases (30m39s).
• Increasing acetylcholine can be achieved pharmacologically through nicotine, but there are associated dangers and costs; alternatively, engaging the cholinergic system through the visual system can be practiced by maintaining focus on a target (30m48s).
• Practicing visual focus on a target, such as a piece of paper or a computer screen, can help harness the mechanisms of attention and improve focus (31m5s).
• It is also possible to improve focus using the auditory system, especially for individuals who are low-vision or no-vision, or when learning something related to sounds (31m30s).
• It is essential to avoid trying to focus for too long during the day, as even high-performing individuals take breaks and engage in activities that allow their minds to disengage (31m41s).
• The human brain learns best in 90-minute bouts, known as ultradian cycles, and it is recommended to focus in intervals within these cycles, allowing for periods of rest and disengagement (32m5s).
• The beginning and end of each 90-minute cycle may involve periods of flickering in and out of focus, and it is essential to be aware of these cycles to optimize learning (32m15s).
• The start of a 90-minute cycle can be identified by paying attention to one's sense of these cycles, which can be developed through engagement in learning practices (32m22s).
• Engaging in non-sleep deep rest or deliberate disengagement, such as walking, running, or sitting quietly, can help the brain recharge and prepare for the next learning cycle (32m37s).

Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow & Reviews, Recommendations, Sponsors (32m52s)

• A learning bout can accelerate the rate of plasticity, and deep sleep also plays a role in this process (32m52s).
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