Essentials: How to Focus to Change Your Brain

The human brain is a dynamic organ, constantly adapting and restructuring itself in response to experiences. Huberman delves into the intricacies of neuroplasticity and how it changes as we age.

The brain is designed to change and adapt throughout the lifespan, but the nature of this plasticity changes with age.

As children, our nervous systems are highly plastic and readily adapt to new experiences, but this plasticity decreases after age 25.

Huberman points out that our nervous systems are inherently designed to change, particularly during childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood when learning can occur passively through experience. Babies are born with a nervous system wired very crudely, and these imprecise connections become refined with experience. However, as one reaches 25, changing the 'super highways' of connectivity in the brain requires engaging in very specific processes. This suggests that the degree of plasticity diminishes with age.

While adults cannot simply add new neurons, the brain remains capable of rewiring existing connections in response to learning and experience.

Even after puberty when the addition of new neurons to the brain and nervous system is rare, the nervous system remains adaptable and is capable of change if the right environmental and chemical conditions are met. Huberman clarifies that the neocortex becomes a customized map based on experiences and that change in the adult brain requires immense attention to the aspect one wants to alter as well as a release of certain neurochemicals.

The brain's capacity for change is essential for our ability to learn, adapt, and recover from impairment.

Individuals with sensory impairments, such as blindness or deafness, demonstrate remarkable brain plasticity as other senses take over the cortical regions normally devoted to the impaired sense.

The occipital cortex of individuals blind from birth, for example, can become utilized by hearing and tactile senses, demonstrating that the neocortex adapts based on the body plan and sensory experiences. Blind people can develop enhanced auditory and touch acuity, including a higher incidence of perfect pitch. This suggests that the brain is v ...

Neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to change and adapt throughout someone's life, is a fascinating process underpinned by complex neurochemical mechanisms.

Neuroplasticity is driven by the release of specific neurotransmitters and neuromodulators in the brain.

Neuroplastic changes are governed by the coordinated release of neurotransmitters and neuromodulators that regulate alertness and attention.

The simultaneous release of epinephrine (for alertness) and acetylcholine (for focused attention) is required to induce neuroplastic changes.

Epinephrine, associated with alertness, is released when we are attentive and engaged with our environment. Acetylcholine, on the other hand, acts like a spotlight to selectively enhance our focus on relevant sensory inputs. Both epinephrine and acetylcholine are necessary for neuroplasticity to occur. Andrew Huberman notes that the concurrent release of acetylcholine from two sources in the brain ensures that the nervous system undergoes the changes associated with learning and adaptation.

Acetylcholine is released from two key brain regions - the brainstem and the nucleus basalis - to enhance the brain's sensitivity to relevant sensory inputs.

The brainstem is one critical region that releases acetylcholine. It sends projections up into the brain's area responsible for filtering sensory input, altering our perceptual experience. Additionally, acetylcholine released from the nucleus basalis, in conjunction with that from the brainstem, is pivotal for inducing change. This release marks synapses neurochemically and metabolically so that they are more inclined to change.

Pharmacological interventions can target these neurochemical systems, but carry risks and may not be sustainable.

In pursuit of enhanced neuroplasticity and cognitive functions, some individuals turn to pharmacological interventions.

Substances like nicotine can increase acetylcholine levels, but carry potential for addiction and side effects.

Huberman discusses nicotine's effect on acetylcholine levels, explaining that nicotine binds to nicotinic receptors, named after acetylcholine. He reveals that some of his colleagues use ni ...

Understanding and leveraging neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections, is vital for learning and adapting. Here are strategies for inducing neuroplasticity with a focus on attentional strategies and sleep protocols as explained by Huberman.

Cultivating deep, focused attention is essential for triggering neuroplastic changes.

Directing visual focus onto a specific target can activate the neurochemical systems needed for plasticity.

Huberman stresses the importance of a high level of attention to enact changes in the brain, mentioning the centrality of the prefrontal cortex in signaling pivotal experiences to the nervous system. He suggests that mental focus often follows visual focus. By directing visual focus intently on a target, you activate your neuroplastic potential.

Closing the eyes or minimizing visual distractions can similarly enhance auditory and other forms of attentional focus.

In addition to visual focus, closing your eyes or minimizing visual distractions has been shown to enhance auditory focus. For instance, closure of the eyes often allows people to better concentrate on auditory tasks since it reduces the visual domination of sensory input. This practice can be beneficial for those with low or no vision, as they tend to have an extraordinary ability to focus their attention in specific areas.

Organizing learning into strategic, time-limited "bouts" can optimize the brain's neuroplastic response.

90-minute periods of intense, focused learning followed by periods of rest and disengagement allow the brain to consolidate and retain new information.

Huberman describes that effective learning sessions last approximately 90 minutes and include an initial warm-up phase, an intense focus phase, and a cool-down period. During these sessions, distractions should be minimized to maintain immersion in the activity. It's normal to feel some agitation during this process due to epinephrine, signaling that you're on ...