Biology & Treatments for Compulsive Eating & Behaviors | Dr. Casey Halpern

About this video

Dr. Casey Halpern, chief of neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania, joins Huberman to discuss the biology and treatment of compulsive eating and related behaviours, including binge eating disorder, bulimia and obsessive-compulsive behaviours. Beyond medication and talk therapy, Dr. Halpern’s laboratory develops engineered devices that stimulate specific brain circuits, including responsive deep brain stimulation of the nucleus accumbens, an area Huberman explains is involved in dopamine release for motivated behaviour, to control loss-of-control eating in people who eat despite knowing they should not and not even wanting to. Huberman cites their pilot study published in Nature Medicine. Dr. Halpern also discusses stigma around obesity and eating disorders, arguing embarrassment makes conditions worse, and in the middle excerpt describes an FDA-approved, NIH-funded first-in-human trial and the challenge of locating the relevant subregion within the nucleus accumbens.

Key takeaways

• Dr. Halpern develops brain-stimulation devices to treat loss-of-control eating.
• Huberman explains the nucleus accumbens is involved in dopamine-driven motivated behaviour.
• Dr. Halpern describes a first-in-human deep brain stimulation trial for binge eating.
• Dr. Halpern argues stigma and embarrassment worsen obesity and eating disorders.
• Huberman frames brain-circuit treatments as also used for tremor, Parkinson’s and dystonia.

Episode details: published September 26, 2022 · 285.1K views · 2:14:35 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. The science and protocols described are Andrew Huberman’s, presented for education — not medical advice. Consult a qualified professional before changing your own health practices.

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