Dr. Matthew MacDougall: Neuralink & Technologies to Enhance Human Brains

In this episode, my guest is Matthew MacDougall, MD, the head neurosurgeon at Neuralink. Dr. MacDougall trained at the University of California, San Diego and Stanford University School of Medicine and is a world expert in brain stimulation, repair and augmentation. He explains Neuralink’s mission and projects to develop and use neural implant technologies and robotics to 1) restore normal movement to paralyzed patients and those with neurodegeneration-based movement disorders (e.g., Parkinson’s, Huntington’s Disease) and to repair malfunctions of deep brain circuitry (e.g., those involved in addiction). He also discusses Neuralink’s efforts to create novel brain-machine interfaces (BMI) that enhance human learning, cognition and communication as a means to accelerate human progress. Dr. MacDougall also explains other uses of bio-integrated machines in daily life; for instance, he implanted himself with a radio chip into his hand that allows him to open specific doors, collect and store data and communicate with machines and other objects in unique ways. Listeners will learn about brain health and function through the lens of neurosurgery, neurotechnology, clinical medicine and Neuralink’s bold and unique mission. Anyone interested in how the brain works and can be made to work better ought to derive value from this discussion. For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman Waking Up: https://www.wakingup.com/huberman Momentous: https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Dr. Matthew MacDougall (00:04:22) Sponsors: LMNT & Waking Up (00:07:38) Brain Function & Injury; Brain Tumor Treatment (00:13:52) Frontal Lobe Filter; Sleep Deprivation (00:19:00) Neuroplasticity, Pharmacology & Machines (00:22:10) Neuralink, Neural Implants & Injury, Robotics & Surgery (00:27:52) Sponsor: AG1 (00:32:20) Neocortex vs. Deep Brain (00:36:45) Decoding Brain Signals (00:42:08) “Confidence Test” & Electrical Stimulation; RFID Implants (00:51:33) Bluetooth Headphones & Electromagnetic Fields; Heat (00:57:43) Brain Augmentation & Paralysis (01:02:09) Brain Implants & Peripheral Devices (01:12:44) Brain Machine Interface (BMI), Neurofeedback; Video Games (01:22:13) Improving Animal Experimentation, Pigs (01:33:18) Skull & Injury, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) (01:39:14) Brain Health, Alcohol (01:43:34) Neuroplasticity, Brain Lesions & Redundancy (01:47:32) Car Accidents & Driver Alertness (01:50:00) Future Possibilities in Brain Augmentation & BMI; Neuralink (01:58:56) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac Disclaimer

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Huberman Lab 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. Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., is a neuroscientist and tenured professor in the department of neurobiology, and by courtesy, psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford School of Medicine. He has made numerous significant contributions to the fields of brain development, brain function and neural plasticity, which is the ability of our nervous system to rewire and learn new behaviors, skills and cognitive functioning.  Huberman is a McKnight Foundation and Pew Foundation Fellow and was awarded the Cogan Award, given to the scientist making the most significant discoveries in the study of vision, in 2017. His lab’s most recent work focuses on the influence of vision and respiration on human performance and brain states such as fear and courage. He also works on neural regeneration and directs a clinical trial to promote visual restoration in diseases that cause blindness. Huberman is also actively involved in developing tools now in use by the elite military in the U.S. and Canada, athletes, and technology industries to optimize performance in high stress environments, enhance neural plasticity, mitigate stress and optimize sleep.   Work from the Huberman Laboratory at Stanford School of Medicine has been published in top journals including Nature, Science and Cell and has been featured in TIME, BBC, Scientific American, Discover and other top media outlets.  In 2021, Dr. Huberman launched the Huberman Lab podcast. The podcast is frequently ranked in the top 5 of all podcasts globally and is often ranked #1 in the categories of Science, Education, and Health & Fitness.