Neuroplasticity refers to the ability of the nervous system to change in response to experience. It is most dramatic in childhood but continues to a degree lifelong. In adulthood, it requires effort and focus as well as adequate rest. Acetylcholine and epinephrine are neuromodulators that “open up” neuroplasticity, marking active neurons during focused states for later change. Though learning occurs during focused, effortful practice, the actual rewiring of synapses happens during sleep and rest.

Neuroplasticity

Feelings and emotions arise from the nervous system and neuromodulators. They are contextual and culturally dependent. While they feel uncontrollable, we can influence them by changing our nervous system through neuroplasticity.

Feelings and Emotions

Thoughts incorporate sensations, perceptions, and memories. They can be reflexive (automatic) or deliberate (requiring effort). Deliberate thought involves analyzing duration, path, and outcomes. Reflexive thinking dominates when resting or distracted, while deliberate thinking is required for learning, focus and change.

Thoughts

Actions are the “final common pathway” of the nervous system. Though short-lived, our experiences, thoughts, and feelings drive our actions and shape our impact on the world. The nervous system converts them into movement, speech, etc. Actions are also either reflexive or deliberate, requiring top-down control and feeling strained.

Actions

<ul><li>The nervous system translates external and internal signals into all our experiences. Understand its parts and functions.</li><li>Perception depends on where we direct our attention. We can choose to perceive and influence our experiences.</li><li>Feelings originate in temporary states of the nervous system. Though they feel uncontrollable, we can rewire emotional reactions over time through practice.</li><li>Top-down control and deliberate thought require effort but become easier with consistent practice as new behaviors become reflexive. Agitation and strain lead to neuroplasticity.</li></ul>

How Your Brain Works & Changes — Key Takeaways, Part 1

We have sensory receptors that detect the external world, creating sensations. Perception is how we focus on, interpret and make sense of sensations. Perception is selective and shaped by our attention, environment, experiences, biases, etc. Many species have additional senses humans lack, e.g., infrared detection in snakes or magneto reception in sea turtles for navigation.

Sensation and Perception

The nervous system includes the brain, spinal cord, and connections between them and throughout the body. It is a continuous feedback loop translating electrical signals into our experiences. Neurons are nerve cells that communicate through synapses, releasing chemicals (neuromodulators) that influence which neurons are active. Different neuromodulators like dopamine, serotonin, and acetylcholine create different experiences. The nervous system enables five key functions: sensation, perception, feelings/emotions, thoughts, and actions.

The Nervous System

The autonomic nervous system regulates transitions between wakefulness, sleep, and other states. It includes sympathetic (alertness) and parasympathetic (calmness) divisions. Over 24 hours, it fluctuates between more alert and focused and more calm and unfocused. Understanding and controlling this seesaw is key to neuroplasticity and optimizing one's nervous system.

The Autonomic Nervous System

In addition to circadian (daily) rhythms, 90-minute ultradian rhythms govern our focus, perception, and sleep cycles. We can enhance learning and productivity by timing tasks around these rhythms and our personal energy levels across the day. The early parts of an ultradian cycle may feel strained but become easier.

Ultradian Rhythms

<ul><li>Sensation is divorced from perception. We constantly sense far more than we perceive or are aware of. Perception requires attention and is selective.</li><li>Top-down control and deliberate thinking require effort and feel unnatural or strained because they activate epinephrine and norepinephrine, creating mental friction. With practice, new behaviors become easier and more reflexive.</li><li>There are many techniques for influencing emotions by changing one's nervous system over time. Emotions arise from temporary states of the nervous system and are context-dependent.</li></ul>

Considerations

Sleep is essential for health, longevity, emotional regulation, memory, and neuroplasticity. However, sleep quality and properly timing sleep are equally important as duration. Nonsleep deep rest, a state between wake and sleep, also facilitates neuroplasticity and renewal. By understanding one's energy and focus levels across the day and night, one can optimally schedule sleep, learning, and rest for productivity and well-being.

Sleep and Rest

Traumatic experiences induce neuroplasticity unconsciously through heightened arousal and the release of epinephrine and acetylcholine. This “highlights” whatever neurons are active during the event, reinforcing those connections. Deliberate neuroplasticity requires choosing a focus or skill to improve, attending fully while practicing it, and then resting. It allows us to rewire our nervous system in a targeted manner.

How does trauma create neuroplasticity compared to deliberate neuroplasticity from practice and learning?

<ul><li>90-minute ultradian rhythms govern our focus, energy and sleep-wake cycles. Schedule demanding tasks and rest periods around your rhythms.</li><li>Neuroplasticity requires focus and rest. Learning and practice activate the process, but rewiring happens during sleep and rest.</li><li>Master your autonomic nervous system by understanding your ideal sleep-wake schedule and energy levels during the day. Optimize sleep quality. Timing of learning and rest is key.</li><li>Explore the state of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKGrmY8OSHM&ab_channel=VirtusanApp">non-sleep deep rest</a> to facilitate renewal, insight, and neuroplasticity.</li></ul>

How Your Brain Works & Changes — Key Takeaways, Part 2

How do they relate to one another? Sensation refers to the initial detection of stimuli in the external or internal world by our sensory receptors. Perception is how we interpret, focus on and make sense of sensations through higher brain processes like attention, experience, biases, etc. Awareness is our conscious experience arising from what we perceive. Sensation leads to perception, which produces awareness. We can only become aware of and understand what we actively perceive.

What is the difference between sensation, perception and awareness?

The podcast provides an overview of the human nervous system, how it governs our experiences and behaviors, and how we can rewire it through neuroplasticity. The discussion covers neurons, synapses, neuromodulators, the autonomic nervous system, ultradian rhythms, and the role of sleep and focus in facilitating change.

Today’s episode provides an introduction to how the nervous system works to create sensations, perceptions, emotions, thoughts and behaviors, as well as how we can change our nervous system—a phenomenon known as neuroplasticity. The information sets the stage for all Huberman Lab podcast episodes that follow by covering neurons, synapses, brain chemicals and the rhythms that control our ability to focus, learn and sleep… and more. Thank you for your interest in science. We'll see you next week! For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman Thesis: https://takethesis.com/huberman Supplements from Momentous https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Introduction (00:02:25) Sponsors: AG1, LMNT, Thesis, Momentous (00:07:57) What is the Nervous System (00:7:25) Deja Vu (00:08:09) How War, Guns & Soap Shaped Our Understanding of the Brain (00:10:47) Jennifer Aniston Neurons (00:11:58) Sensations (00:13:30) Magnetic Sensing & Mating (00:14:51) Perceptions & The Spotlight of Attention (00:16:33) Multi-Tasking Is Real (00:17:45) Bottom-Up vs. Top-Down Control of Behavior (00:18:38) Focusing the Mind (00:21:47) Antidepressants (00:25:01) Thoughts & Thought Control (00:25:56) Actions (00:30:40) How We Control Our Impulses (00:33:44) Neuroplasticity: The Holy Grail of Neuroscience (00:38:34) The Portal to Neuroplasticity (00:43:53) Accelerating Learning in Sleep (00:47:29) The Pillar of Plasticity (00:52:22) Leveraging Ultradian Cycles & Self Experimentation (00:57:17) Summary (00:58:03) Zero-Cost Support, Feedback, Reviews Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac Disclaimer

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Today’s episode provides an introduction to how the nervous system works to create sensations, perceptions, emotions, thoughts and behaviors, as well as how we can change our nervous system—a phenomenon known as neuroplasticity. The information sets the stage for all Huberman Lab podcast episodes that follow by covering neurons, synapses, brain chemicals and the rhythms that control our ability to focus, learn and sleep… and more. Thank you for your interest in science. We'll see you next week! For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman Supplements from Momentous https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Introduction (00:02:25) Sponsors: AG1, LMNT (00:07:57) What is the Nervous System (00:7:25) Deja Vu (00:08:09) How War, Guns & Soap Shaped Our Understanding of the Brain (00:10:47) Jennifer Aniston Neurons (00:11:58) Sensations (00:13:30) Magnetic Sensing & Mating (00:14:51) Perceptions & The Spotlight of Attention (00:16:33) Multi-Tasking Is Real (00:17:45) Bottom-Up vs. Top-Down Control of Behavior (00:18:38) Focusing the Mind (00:21:47) Antidepressants (00:25:01) Thoughts & Thought Control (00:25:56) Actions (00:30:40) How We Control Our Impulses (00:33:44) Neuroplasticity: The Holy Grail of Neuroscience (00:38:34) The Portal to Neuroplasticity (00:43:53) Accelerating Learning in Sleep (00:47:29) The Pillar of Plasticity (00:52:22) Leveraging Ultradian Cycles & Self Experimentation (00:57:17) Summary (00:58:03) Zero-Cost Support, Feedback, Reviews Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac Disclaimer

Huberman Lab discusses neuroscience: how our brain and its connections with the organs of our body control our perceptions, our behaviors, and our health. We also discuss existing and emerging tools for measuring and changing how our nervous system works. Dr. Andrew Huberman is a tenured professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine. His laboratory studies neural regeneration, neuroplasticity, and brain states such as stress, focus, fear, and optimal performance. For more than 20 years, Dr. Huberman has consistently published original research findings and review articles in top-level peer-reviewed journals, including Nature, Science, Cell, Neuron, and Current Biology. He is a regular member of several National Institutes of Health review panels and a Fellow of the McKnight Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts. Dr. Huberman regularly consults for technology development companies, professional athletic organizations, and various units of U.S. and Canadian Special Operations.