Summary of How Your Nervous System Works & Changes | Huberman Lab Podcast #1

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00:00:00 - 01:00:00

The nervous system is incredibly important for understanding who you are and how you work. This video discusses how the nervous system works, how it changes throughout the day, and how different chemicals can have different effects on different aspects of our biology.

00:00:00 The Huberman Lab Podcast is a podcast about the parts list of the nervous system, which is incredibly important for understanding who you are and how you work. The first sponsor of the podcast is Athletic Greens, which is a drink that has vitamins, minerals, probiotics, prebiotics, and D3 and K2. The second sponsor is Inside Tracker, which uses blood tests and saliva tests to monitor your hormones, many different parameters of your health, and your inner age.
00:05:00 The nervous system includes your brain and spinal cord, as well as all of the connections between your organs and your brain. The way to think about how you function at every level from the moment you're born until the day you die is that your nervous system is a continuous loop of communication between the brain, spinal cord, and body and body, spinal cord, and brain. In fact, we really can't even separate them. The nervous system governs all other biological systems of the body, and it's influenced by those other biological systems.
00:10:00 The nervous system enables us to experience sensations, including the sense of familiarity that is commonly called deja vu. The electrical activity of neurons determines our experience, and advances in wound care have allowed neurologists to study the effects of injury on the nervous system. The paper published in Nature in 2000 showed that a specific neuron became active only when a person viewed the picture of Jennifer Aniston, an actress. Recognizing Jennifer Aniston's face is an example of how the brain is a map of experience, and is essential for functioning in everyday life.
00:15:00 The nervous system consists of neurons in the skin, ears, and nose that allow for different types of touch, sound, and magnetic sensing. Perception is the ability to take what is being sensed and make sense of it. When you are rested, you can have two spotlights of attention on different things.
00:20:00 The nervous system consists of reflexes and deliberate actions. Reflexive actions are done without thinking, while deliberate actions require some effort and focus. The two types of actions are controlled by different chemicals in the nervous system. Dopamine is involved in Reward and motivation, while serotonin is involved in feelings of pleasure and happiness. Antidepressants work by increasing serotonin or dopamine levels.
00:25:00 This video discusses how the nervous system works, and how different chemicals (neuromodulators) have different effects on different aspects of our biology. For example, serotonin can elevate mood and make people feel better, but it can also have sexual side effects if taken in high doses or is not right for someone. Other neuromodulators, such as dopamine, can have different effects based on where they bind to receptors (muscle vs heart), and thoughts can be reflexive (occurring all the time) or deliberate (planned). Actions, such as writing or engineering, are also important because they are the only way to create a fossil record of our existence.
00:30:00 The nervous system includes a network of connections between nerve cells that gives rise to movement. Reflexive movement, which is generated by the central pattern generators in the brain stem, is not controlled by the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for deliberate movement. Deliberate movement requires the engagement of the forebrain, which controls the central pattern generators and cues the nervous system to release neuromodulators. Alcohol consumption can damage the frontal lobes, which can impair the ability to engage in top-down processing, leading to impulsivity.
00:35:00 The nervous system is designed to work in a reflexive way, but when we want to learn something or change our behavior, we have to engage in top-down processing. This process, known as neuroplasticity, can be difficult because the chemicals released in association with the effort are designed to make us feel agitated. Neuroplasticity is the ability of the brain and body to change in response to experience, and it is especially important for adults to learn how to shape their behavior because the brain is capable of changing itself.
00:40:00 The adult human nervous system can change in response to experience, with plasticity controlled by neuromodulators like dopamine, serotonin, and acetylcholine. Traumatic or terrible experiences can lead to the release of epinephrine and acetylcholine, which can make the desired change easier to achieve.
00:45:00 The nervous system is capable of neuroplasticity, which refers to the ability of the brain to change over time in response to experience. In this video, Huberman discusses how deep sleep and non-sleep deep rest are key for neuroplasticity to take place, and how learning rates and retention are accelerated under those conditions. He also discusses how different people are thinking about how to prevent bad circumstances from routing their way into the nervous system permanently.
00:50:00 The autonomic nervous system controls the transition between wakefulness and sleep, and between sleep and wakefulness. The system is important for neuroplasticity and for engagement in focus states and in reflexive thinking and behaviors. The autonomic nervous system works like a seesaw. Every 24 hours, we have an optimal phase for thinking and focusing. We have energy during another phase of our day. The ability to master both phases is important for neuroplasticity and for getting the most out of our nervous system. Most people don't know that you're paralyzed during much of your sleep, and that your brain is in a idle state during this time. Getting better at sleeping requires more than just sleeping more, it also requires understanding your rhythms in your waking states.
00:55:00 This video discusses how the nervous system functions and changes throughout the day, with a focus on ultradian rhythms. The author notes that these rhythms are important for learning and focus, and that learning can be improved by understanding when the brain is most focused and motivated. The video also covers how to take control of the autonomic nervous system, using tools that have been developed in recent years.

01:00:00 - 01:00:00

In this podcast episode, Dr. Huberman discusses the nervous system and how it works. He covers topics such as neuroplasticity, the autonomic nervous system, sleep, non-sleep deep rest, and the effects of sleep deprivation on emotional stability. He also discusses how to improve sleep quality and access deep rest even when it's difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep.