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#249 ‒ How the brain works, Andrew’s fascinating backstory, improving scientific literacy, and more | Andrew Huberman, Ph.D.

2023/4/3

The Peter Attia Drive

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Andrew Huberman

是一位专注于神经科学、学习和健康的斯坦福大学教授和播客主持人。

Peter Attia

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Peter Attia: 本期播客将讨论神经解剖学、大脑工作机制、感官功能、Andrew Huberman的个人经历以及科学素养危机等三个主要方面。涵盖内容广泛，从神经解剖学基础知识到Andrew Huberman的个人成长历程，最后探讨了科学传播和科学素养危机的重要性。 Andrew Huberman: 本期播客内容丰富，涵盖了神经科学、个人经历和科学传播三个方面。在神经科学方面，重点探讨了前额叶皮层、杏仁核和脑岛等脑区的功能及其相互作用，以及这些脑区在不同情绪状态下的活动模式。还讨论了人类视觉系统与其他动物感官系统的比较，以及视觉输入与时间感知之间的关系。在个人经历方面，分享了他从童年到学术生涯的成长历程，包括克服困难、寻求心理治疗以及重要的导师对他的影响。最后，他还探讨了科学传播的重要性以及如何应对科学素养危机。 Andrew Huberman: 压力和肾上腺素会优先将葡萄糖和乳酸输送到大脑的原始区域（下丘脑和脑干），导致前额叶皮层暂时“关闭”，限制创造力和解决问题的能力。前额叶皮层负责根据情境调整规则集，而杏仁核和脑岛则参与威胁检测和内感受，三者之间存在相互作用，影响认知灵活性。在平静和理性的状态下，前额叶皮层主导杏仁核和脑岛的活动；而在压力或恐慌状态下，脑岛和杏仁核的活动会反过来主导前额叶皮层，限制思维灵活性。视网膜和视觉系统对运动最为敏感，这解释了动物能够快速察觉周围环境中运动物体的机制。视网膜的微型眼跳运动可以防止视觉神经元适应，从而维持对物体的持续感知。视觉系统的首要功能是区分昼夜，而非感知物体形状和颜色，这暗示视觉系统进化是一个循序渐进的过程。梭状回面孔区负责识别面孔，其损伤会导致面孔识别障碍（面容失认症）。人类在进化过程中牺牲了部分嗅觉受体的多样性来换取三色视觉能力。视觉系统能够感知远距离物体，而嗅觉系统则需要近距离接触，这可能是人类视觉系统占主导地位的原因之一。人类能够将过去的记忆、现在的体验和对未来的预期区分开来，这可能是人类区别于其他动物的关键因素之一。思维定势或信念会对生理机能和表现产生显著影响，这与安慰剂效应不同。自主神经系统兴奋会限制规则集的访问，从而影响认知能力和创造力；而放松的状态则更有利于创造性思维。

Deep Dive

Key Insights

What is the role of the prefrontal cortex in adjusting rulesets to match the setting?

The prefrontal cortex, located behind the forehead, is crucial for rule setting and adjusting behavior based on context. It helps individuals switch between different sets of behaviors appropriate for various situations, such as being at a podcast, public speaking, or spending time with family.

How does the brain's neural circuitry limit creativity and problem-solving under stress?

Under stress, the brain's neural circuits, particularly those involving the prefrontal cortex, insula, and amygdala, shift to prioritize survival functions. This limits the prefrontal cortex's ability to access a broad range of rule sets and inhibits creativity and problem-solving.

Why did humans develop better vision over other senses like smell?

Humans traded out diversity in olfactory receptors for the evolution of trichromatic vision, which allows us to see in a wider range of colors. This evolutionary trade-off was likely due to the importance of visual perception for distant recognition and survival.

What is the relationship between visual input and time perception?

The brain processes visual information to create a perception of time. Objects appear to move more slowly when they are far away and more quickly when they are close, which helps in tasks like driving and sports. This relationship is crucial for our ability to navigate and react to our environment.

How does belief impact physiology and performance?

Belief can significantly influence physiology and performance. For example, telling people a milkshake is low-calorie can lead to different physiological responses compared to telling them it's high-calorie. Similarly, believing that stress is performance-enhancing can improve reaction time and memory capacity.

What motivated Andrew Huberman to start his podcast?

Andrew Huberman was motivated to start his podcast to share scientific insights and tools, especially during the pandemic when there was a need for stress and sleep management techniques. He saw a gap in public health education and wanted to provide accessible, useful information.

What is Andrew Huberman's unique approach to communicating science?

Andrew Huberman focuses on teaching the 'verb action' of biology—understanding processes and mechanisms—rather than just the 'nouns' or facts. He aims to provide people with the tools and mental models to critically engage with scientific information and make informed decisions.

What are the benefits of blood flow restriction training?

Blood flow restriction training increases growth hormone, reduces soreness, and enhances metabolic activity. It can also improve lactate utilization and efficiency, making it a valuable tool for physical conditioning.

How does the visual system help in survival and planning?

The visual system allows us to perceive things at a distance, which is crucial for survival and planning. It enables us to recognize and anticipate future events, a capability that sets humans apart from other animals.

What are the psychological and emotional challenges Andrew Huberman faced during his youth?

Andrew Huberman faced significant challenges, including his parents' divorce, a high-conflict home environment, and periods of neglect. These experiences led to anger, truancy, and involvement in the skateboarding community, which exposed him to drugs, alcohol, and fights. Therapy played a crucial role in helping him navigate these issues.

Shownotes Transcript

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Andrew Huberman is a Professor of Neurobiology at Stanford University and host of the Huberman Lab podcast. In this episode, Andrew begins with a fascinating discussion about the brain, including the role of the prefrontal cortex in adjusting your ruleset to match your setting, the neural circuitry underlying the ability of stress to limit creativity and problem-solving, the effect of belief on physiology and performance, and more. He speaks about vision being our “superpower” and compares this to animals that rely more on other senses. Next, he opens up about his personal journey, the struggles and losses he has overcome, the value of therapy, and the many great people who helped him along the way. He speaks to his love of biology and discovery and the importance of staying true to your passion rather than being driven purely by ambition. Lastly, the conversation includes a look to the future of Andrew's scientific work and podcast as well as his unique approach to communicating science and tackling the issue of scientific illiteracy.

We discuss:

Exercise under blood flow restriction, lactate utilization, and transient changes in the brain function in response to adrenaline and stress [3:30];
The role of the prefrontal cortex in governing rulesets [9:15];
New discoveries about the circuitry between the prefrontal cortex, insula, and amygdala, and the insights gleaned about brain function in different emotional states [15:30];
Comparing human vision and other senses to animals [26:00];
A deep dive into vision: evolutionary adaptations, facial recognition, color, and more [39:45];
Sense of smell, pheromones, and why evolution developed better vision over smell [46:30];
The relationship between visual input and time perception [55:30];
Mindset effects: the effect of belief on physiology and performance [1:00:45];
Accessing higher levels of creativity with broadening rulesets and the limiting nature of stress and fear on creativity [1:05:30];
Stress and fear increase autonomic arousal, limit access to rulesets, and inhibit performance [1:12:15];
Andrew’s upbringing, early childhood, and tough adolescent years [1:15:00];
Andrew’s time in a residential treatment program and how he benefited from therapy [1:20:15];
The beginning of positive changes in Andrew’s young life [1:28:30];
Andrew’s decision to turn his life around [1:37:00];
A new passion for science and exercise helps Andrew [1:42:00];
The difference between a postdoc and a PhD [1:54:15];
Staying in touch with the love of biology and not getting pulled into ambition [1:59:15];
Andrew starts his own lab, and continues work to overcome his demons [2:07:00];
The loss of three mentors leads to deep soul searching [2:12:00];
What motivated Andrew to begin his podcast [2:18:00];
Looking to the future of Andrew’s scientific work, podcast, and more [2:22:45];
Andrew’s unique approach to communicating science and the issue of scientific illiteracy [2:30:00]; and
More.

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#249 ‒ How the brain works, Andrew’s fascinating backstory, improving scientific literacy, and more | Andrew Huberman, Ph.D. 02:50:42 Share