Dr. Wendy Suzuki: Boost Attention & Memory with Science-Based Tools

Huberman Lab

Scicomm Media

Science, Health & Fitness, Life Sciences

4.8 • 26.2K Ratings

🗓️ 23 May 2022

⏱️ 107 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

My guest is Dr. Wendy Suzuki, Ph.D., Professor of Neural Science and Psychology and (soon) Dean of New York University, whose research focuses on memory, attention, brain plasticity and simple, daily habits that can be leveraged to improve learning, focus, memory and cognitive ability. We discuss the role of cardiovascular exercise, weight training, deliberate cold exposure, meditation, verbal affirmations, sleep, and other behavioral practices for enhancing learning, mood and stress management, and increasing attention span. Dr. Suzuki shares the mechanisms by which these practices change our brain in order to improve cognitive function fast and reduce age-related cognitive decline. For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/huberman Thesis: https://takethesis.com/huberman Supplements from Momentous https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Dr. Wendy Suzuki, Learning & Memory (00:02:50) Sponors (00:07:27) How Memories Form (00:10:14) Hippocampus: Memory, Association & Imagination (00:16:20) Encoding Long-Term Memory (00:18:48) One-Trial Memory (00:21:56) Tool: Foundational Habits to Enhance Brain Performance (00:30:39) Exercise & Improved Memory, Making a “Big, Fat, Fluffy Hippocampus” (00:39:35) Cardiovascular Exercise, BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) (00:48:48) Neurogenesis (New Neuron Production) in Adults (00:51:50) Effects of Exercise on Memory (00:56:31) Tool: Timing Daily Exercise, Cortisol (01:00:02) Age-Related Memory Loss, Daily Exercise (01:05:33) Tool: Exercise Protocol for Improving Cognition (01:12:17) Anticipating Exercise, Daily Habits & Behaviors (01:17:09) “Every Drop of Sweat Counts” – Exercise & Cognitive Function (01:20:58) Positive Affirmations & Mood (01:27:28) Meditation & Cognitive Performance (01:32:27) How Meditation Works, Focusing on the Present (01:37:14) Tool: Strategies to Increase Attention (01:42:50) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Momentous Supplements, Instagram, Twitter, Neural Network Newsletter Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac Disclaimer

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the Huberman Lab podcast where we discuss science and science-based tools for everyday life.
0:09.0	I'm Andrew Huberman and I'm a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine.
0:14.0	Today my guest is Dr. Wendy Suzuki.
0:17.0	Dr. Suzuki is a professor of neuroscience and psychology at New York University
0:21.0	and one of the leading researchers in the area of learning and memory.
0:25.0	Her laboratory has contributed fundamental textbook understanding of how brain areas such as the hippocampus,
0:31.0	which you will learn about today, how the hippocampus and related brain circuits allow us to take certain experiences
0:38.0	and commit them to memory so that we can use that information in the future.
0:41.0	Dr. Suzuki is also an expert public educator in the realm of science.
0:46.0	A few years back she had a TED talk that essentially went viral.
0:50.0	If you haven't seen it already you should absolutely check it out.
0:53.0	In which she describes her experience using exercise as a way to enhance learning and memory.
1:00.0	And on the basis of that personal experience she reshaped her laboratory to explore how things like meditation, exercise,
1:08.0	and other things that we can do with our physiology and our psychology can allow us to learn faster,
1:13.0	to commit things to memory longer, and indeed to reshape our cognitive performance in a variety of settings.
1:20.0	As such I am delighted to announce that Dr. Suzuki is now not only running a laboratory at New York University,
1:26.0	but she is the incoming dean of arts and science at New York University.
1:30.0	And of course she was selected for that role for her many talents.
1:33.0	But one of the important aspects of her program she tells me is going to be to incorporate the incredible power of exercise,
1:42.0	meditation, and other behavioral practices for enhancing learning, for improving stress management,
1:48.0	and other things to optimize student performance.
1:51.0	Today you are going to get access to much of that information so that you can apply those tools in your daily life as well.
	...

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