How Your Brain Works & Changes

About this video

In the podcast’s first full episode, Huberman lays out the parts list of the nervous system, promising the equivalent of a semester of learning about how the nervous system works. He organizes experience into sensations, perceptions, feelings, thoughts, and actions, arguing that actions are the most important aspect because behaviors are the only thing that create a fossil record of our existence: sensations, perceptions, and thoughts are carried forward only when converted into actions such as writing, words, or engineering. Huberman cites the physiologist Sherrington, who won a Nobel prize for mapping circuitry for movement and called movement the final common pathway. Huberman explains that reflexive movement runs through central pattern generators in the brainstem, groups of neurons generating patterns such as right foot, left foot when walking, while deliberate movement engages top-down forebrain control over those generators. Huberman closes by previewing a month on sleep and non-sleep deep rest, and he emphasizes upfront that he is not a medical doctor and that listeners should consult healthcare professionals before exploring new tools.

Key takeaways

• Huberman organizes nervous system function into sensation, perception, feeling, thought, and action.
• Huberman argues that action is what carries experience forward into a lasting record.
• Huberman cites Sherrington’s description of movement as the final common pathway.
• Huberman explains walking as run by central pattern generators with top-down control when needed.
• Huberman emphasizes consulting healthcare professionals before trying new tools.

Episode details: published January 4, 2021 · 2.1M views · 1:02:31 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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