The Huberman Lab Podcast 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.
Essentials: The Science & Treatment of Bipolar Disorder
In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, I explain the biology, symptoms and types of bipolar disorder (sometimes called bipolar depression), a condition characterized by extreme, maladaptive shifts in energy, mood and perception. I describe the diagnostic criteria that distinguish bipolar I from bipolar II, including mania and hypomania and the different patterns of mood cycling. I discuss the remarkable history and discovery of lithium and how it works, in part by reducing inflammation, providing neuroprotection and supporting the interoceptive neural circuits affected in bipolar disorder. I also cover talk therapies, electroconvulsive therapy and nutraceuticals such as omega-3 fatty acids and inositol, and I explore the intriguing relationship between mood disorders and creativity. This episode should interest anyone who has or knows someone with bipolar disorder, as well as those interested in how the brain balances mood, energy and focus.
Read the show notes at hubermanlab.com.
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Timestamps
(00:00:00) Bipolar Disorder
(00:01:09) Bipolar I; Manic Episode Symptoms
(00:05:00) Bipolar II, Hypomania; Depressive Episodes & Cycling
(00:09:00) Sponsor: BetterHelp
(00:10:09) Lithium Discovery, Dr. John Cade, Uric Acid
(00:12:14) Lithium Urate & Guinea Pigs, Control Experiments
(00:13:19) Lithium Salts Paper, Toxicity & Monitoring
(00:15:40) How Lithium Works: Inflammation & Neuroprotection
(00:16:50) Exteroception vs. Interoception, Neural Circuit Atrophy
(00:19:04) Sponsor: AG1
(00:20:29) Drug vs. Talk Therapies
(00:20:40) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Interpersonal & Social Rhythm Therapy
(00:22:30) Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT), Treatment-Resistant Depression
(00:24:07) Caution: Rely on Prescribed Treatment, Suicide Risk
(00:24:59) Tool: Lifestyle Support, Sleep, Exercise, Nutrition & Sunlight
(00:26:05) Tool: Inositol & Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Fish Oil Study
(00:29:53) Sponsor: Eight Sleep
(00:31:10) Creativity & Mood Disorders, Eminent Individuals Study
(00:34:00) Recap & Key Takeaways
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