Understanding Your Brain's Logic & Function | Dr. David Berson

In this episode, my guest is Dr. David Berson, Ph.D., Professor & Chairman of Neuroscience at Brown University. Dr. Berson discovered the neurons in your eye that set your biological rhythms for sleep, wakefulness, mood and appetite. He is also a world-renowned teacher of basic and advanced neuroscience, having taught thousands of university lectures on this topic. Many of his students have become world-leading neuroscientists and teachers themselves. Here Dr. Berson takes us on a structured journey into and around the nervous system, explaining: how we perceive the world and our internal landscape, how we balance, see, and remember. Also, how we learn and perform reflexive and deliberate actions, how we visualize and imagine in our mind, and how the various circuits of the brain coordinate all these incredible feats. We discuss practical and real-life examples of neural circuit function across the lifespan. Dr. Berson gives us a masterclass in the nervous system—one that, in just less than two hours, will teach you an entire course's worth about the brain and how yours works. Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com.

Actionable Insights

1. Maximize Daytime Bright Light

Get as much bright light, ideally from sunlight, into your eyes during the day. This is crucial for setting circadian rhythms, improving mood, and potentially preventing issues like seasonal affective disorder; avoid wearing blue blockers during the day.

2. Avoid Bright Light at Night

Avoid bright light exposure of any wavelength in the middle of the night. This action is critical because bright light can significantly suppress melatonin release, which is detrimental to sleep and hormonal status.

3. Practice “No-Go” Behaviors Daily

Practice “no-go” behaviors daily, such as resisting the urge to reflexively check your phone. This mental practice builds self-control and discipline, creating a gap in consciousness for deliberate decision-making and improving the ability to suppress inappropriate actions.

4. Ensure Daily Electrolyte Hydration

Dissolve one packet of Element (electrolytes without sugar) in 16-32 ounces of water first thing in the morning and during physical exercise. This ensures proper hydration and adequate electrolytes, which are vital for optimal brain, body, and nerve cell function.

5. Utilize Meditation & NSDR

Use a meditation app like Waking Up for various meditation programs, mindfulness training, yoga nidra, or non-sleep deep rest (NSDR) protocols. These practices can place the brain and body into different states and restore cognitive and physical energy, even with short 10-minute sessions.

6. Supplement Daily Nutrition

Take Athletic Greens once or twice a day to cover basic nutritional needs, address potential deficiencies, and support microbiome health. This supplement also provides Vitamin D3K2, essential for brain, body, and cardiovascular function.

7. Prevent Motion Sickness

To prevent or alleviate motion sickness, avoid looking at your phone or other stable objects while in a moving vehicle. Instead, look out the front windshield or at the horizon to align your visual input with your body’s motion.

8. Increase Kids’ Outdoor Time

Encourage children to spend more time outdoors. There is a strong correlation between increased outdoor time and a reduced incidence of nearsightedness (myopia).

9. Equalize Ear Pressure

To equalize ear pressure during ascent or descent (e.g., on a plane), either plug your nose and gently blow out, or plug your nose and gently suck in. The key is to open the Eustachian tube to resolve the pressure differential.

10. Explore Neuroscience Resources

To learn about neuroscience, utilize accessible resources like podcasts, participate in crowdsourced research projects (e.g., EyeWire), read popular science books, ask knowledgeable individuals, and use online encyclopedias like Wikipedia for initial research. Explore areas that align with your personal interests.