Understanding & Healing the Mind | Dr. Karl Deisseroth

About this video

Dr. Karl Deisseroth, a Stanford psychiatrist and research scientist and the podcast’s first guest, discusses how the nervous system works in health and in disorders of the mind, drawing on his clinical work with conditions including obsessive compulsive disorder, autism, schizophrenia, mania, and anxiety. Dr. Deisseroth explains optogenetics: his laboratory pioneered channelopsins, proteins from algae that, he describes, can be introduced into nervous systems to precisely control neuron activity with light, a technology recently applied, Huberman notes, to allow a fully blind adult to see light. In the slices, Dr. Deisseroth explains the remaining challenges of targeting one specific cell type, delivering the channelopsin gene using adeno-associated viruses he describes as safe and well-tolerated, using promoters and enhancers to restrict expression, and delivering light, including through highly light-sensitive opsins and goggles built for the vision patient. The pair also discuss his book Projections, psychedelic treatments, and consciousness.

Key takeaways

• Dr. Deisseroth explains optogenetics as using light-sensitive algae proteins to control specific neurons with light.
• Dr. Deisseroth describes adeno-associated viruses as safe, well-tolerated gene delivery vehicles.
• Dr. Deisseroth notes that targeting one cell type precisely remains a key unsolved challenge.
• Huberman highlights a recent case in which channelopsins let a blind patient perceive light.
• Dr. Deisseroth connects patient stories in his book Projections to how the brain breaks down.

Episode details: published June 28, 2021 · 524.8K views · 2:02:06 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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