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.
Optimize & Control Your Brain Chemistry to Improve Health & Performance | Episode 80
In this episode, I explain the biological roles of the four major neuromodulators—dopamine, epinephrine (aka adrenaline), serotonin, and acetylcholine—and describe how these neuromodulators impact a wide variety of mental states and behaviors, including focus, creativity, motivation, drive, learning, alertness, mood, relationships, and feelings of well-being. Then, with that foundational understanding in mind, I describe a potent toolkit of science-supported behavioral, nutrition, and supplementation tools that can be used to increase baseline levels of individual neuromodulators and that can be modified for specific goals. This episode summarizes low-or-no-cost, actionable, science-based tools that can benefit anyone in order to enhance their levels of brain chemicals and improve mental health, physical health, and performance.
Thank you to our sponsors
AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman
Thesis: https://takethesis.com/huberman
InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/huberman
Supplements from Momentous
https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman.
For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com.
Timestamps
(00:00:00) Optimizing Neurochemicals to Improve Health
(00:03:40) Momentous Supplements
(00:05:30) Sleep & Maintaining Healthy Metabolism
(00:09:52) Tools: How to Wake Up Earlier, Night Owls
(00:19:32) AG1 (Athletic Greens), Thesis, InsideTracker
(00:22:05) Nervous System Overview
(00:31:32) How Neuromodulators Work
(00:34:24) Baseline Neuromodulator Levels, 3 Daily Phases
(00:42:15) Hormones Modulate Neuromodulators
(00:52:12) The 4 Major Types of Neuromodulators
(01:01:45) Tool Kit 1: Increase Baseline Dopamine & Focus
(01:08:52) Tyrosine-rich Foods & Dopamine
(01:10:59) Dopamine Supplementation: Mucuna Pruriens, L-tyrosine & Phenylethylamine
(01:16:00) Deliberate Cold Exposure & Dopamine
(01:21:12) Tool Kit 2: Additional Tips to Increase Dopamine
(01:26:10) Tool Kit 3: Increase Epinephrine (Adrenaline) & Alertness
(01:34:34) Tool Kit 4: Increase Acetylcholine & Attention/Learning; Choline-rich Foods
(01:37:29) Acetylcholine Supplements: Nicotine, Alpha GPC, Huperzine
(01:44:47) Tool Kit 5: Behavior to Increase Focus & Acetylcholine
(01:46:56) Tool Kit 6: Behavior to Increase Serotonin & Feelings of Well-being
(01:50:51) Tools: Tryptophan-Rich Foods & Serotonin
(01:53:31) Tools: Serotonin Supplements: Cissus Quadrangularis, 5-HTP, Myo-inositol
(02:02:14) Use the Neurochemical Toolkit to Meet Individual Goals
(02:06:44) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Momentous Supplements, Instagram, Twitter, Neural Network Newsletter
Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac