How to Rewire Your Brain & Learn Faster | Dr. Michael Kilgard

Huberman Lab

Scicomm Media

Science, Health & Fitness, Life Sciences

4.8 • 26.2K Ratings

🗓️ 11 August 2025

⏱️ 190 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode, my guest is Dr. Michael Kilgard, PhD, a professor of neuroscience at the University of Texas at Dallas and a leading expert on neuroplasticity and learning across the lifespan. We discuss the need for alertness, effortful focus, post-learning reflection and sleep to induce neuroplasticity, and how dopamine, acetylcholine, serotonin and norepinephrine are each involved. He explains the behavioral steps for neuroplasticity, as well as vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) and other therapies for tinnitus, stroke, depression, PTSD and paralysis. This episode ought to be of use to anyone interested in understanding the modern science of brain rewiring and learning to improve cognitive or motor skills or treat sensory or motor disorders. Read the episode show notes at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/huberman Wealthfront*: https://wealthfront.com/huberman Carbon: https://joincarbon.com/huberman Function: https://functionhealth.com/huberman *This experience may not be representative of the experience of other clients of Wealthfront, and there is no guarantee that all clients will have similar experiences. Cash Account is offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC. The Annual Percentage Yield (“APY”) on cash deposits as of December 27,‬ 2024, is representative, subject to change, and requires no minimum. Funds in the Cash Account are swept to partner banks where they earn the variable‭ APY. Promo terms and FDIC coverage conditions apply. Same-day withdrawal or instant payment transfers may be limited by destination institutions, daily transaction caps, and by participating entities such as Wells Fargo, the RTP® Network, and FedNow® Service. New Cash Account deposits are subject to a 2-4 day holding period before becoming available for transfer. Timestamps (00:00) Michael Kilgard (03:24) Neuroplasticity (05:13) Child vs Adult Plasticity, Childhood Development & Learning (09:37) Sponsors: Eight Sleep & Wealthfront (12:41) Kids, Real vs Artificial Experiences & Balance, Video Games, Natural World (21:13) Social Media & Videos, Kids, Overstimulation & Development (33:42) Early Language Development, Passive vs Real Experiences, Kids & Adults (39:23) Sponsors: AG1 & Carbon (42:44) Learning & Plasticity Requirements; Focus, Friction, Rest & Reflection (52:24) Brain Connections, Complexity, Life Experiences & Plasticity (1:02:51) Learning, Reflection, Visualization, Testing (1:09:45) Experience Diversity & Time, Happiness, Life Appreciation (1:18:05) Sponsor: Function (1:19:53) Learning & Life Meaning (1:23:25) Neuromodulators, Brain Complexity, Synaptic Eligibility Trace & Learning (1:34:28) Synapses, Therapy for PTSD, Rewiring the Brain (1:39:01) Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS), Stroke, Spinal Cord Injury, Tinnitus, PTSD (1:47:33) Psychedelics, Neurostimulation, Importance of Timing (1:57:47) Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) & Major Depression (2:01:51) Psychedelics/SSRIs as Plasticity Tools, SSRIs & Bone Strength, Failed Clinical Trials (2:13:18) Can VNS Accelerate Learning? (2:16:01) VNS Surgery, Patient Use & Specificity, Closed-Loop Vagus Nerve Stimulation (2:18:18) Tinnitus Cause, Incidence & Self-Amplification; PTSD & Control (2:28:12) VNS for Tinnitus; Disease Complexity & Treatments, Lazy Eye (2:41:05) Complexity of Disease Treatments & Combination Therapies (2:48:50) Brain-Machine Interfaces, Information & Experiences; Closed-Loop Feedback; Resilience (2:59:09) Evolving Clinical Trials, Combination Treatments & Disease Complexity (3:05:21) Acknowledgements (3:07:04) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow & Reviews, Sponsors, YouTube Feedback, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.
0:08.8	I'm Andrew Huberman, and I'm a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine.
0:15.3	My guest today is Dr. Michael Kilgard. Dr. Michael Kilgard is a professor at the University of Texas at Dallas,
0:21.5	and he is one of the world's leading experts in neuroplasticity, which is the brain's ability
0:25.5	to change in response to experience.
0:28.1	Since the beginning of the field of neuroscience, meaning for well over 100 years, it was
0:32.4	understood that the young brain can change.
0:34.5	Kids can learn things.
0:35.5	They can learn languages, new skills, and young adults can learn, but that
0:38.9	the adult brain was less capable of learning.
0:41.7	Then in the late 90s, it was Dr. Kilgard in collaboration with his colleagues that discovered
0:46.0	that indeed the adult brain can change massively if the right conditions are set.
0:50.9	His work showed that if specific neuromodulators, meaning acetycholine, norapinephrine,
0:55.3	serotonin, or dopamine are triggered to be released in the adult brain, you can achieve massive
1:00.3	rewiring of brain circuits and learning, even as an adult. This opened up an entire new field
1:05.1	within neuroscience and, of course, has profound implications for health and disease. It's also
1:09.5	completely changed the way that we think about learning, longevity, and brain health.
1:13.3	More recently, Dr. Kilgarde's research has focused on vagus nerve stimulation to precisely
1:17.7	control the timing of neuromodulator release.
1:20.4	As you may know, the vagus nerve connects the body with the brain and the brain with the body.
1:24.7	And by stimulating a particular branch of the vagus nerve pathway,
1:28.2	his laboratory has shown that people can overcome debilitating conditions such as
	...

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