Understand & Improve Memory Using Science-Based Tools | Huberman Lab Podcast #72

This episode I explain the mechanisms by which different types of memories are established in our brain and how to leverage the amount and timing of key neurochemicals and hormones, such as adrenaline (aka epinephrine) and cortisol, to improve your learning and memory abilities. I describe multiple science-based protocols to do this, including repetition, caffeine, emotional states, deliberate cold exposure, sleep, meditation, and the role of vision, including taking “mental snapshots.” I also describe how exercise and an associated hormone, osteocalcin, can improve cognitive ability and memory formation. I also describe unique aspects and forms of memory such as photographic memory, extreme facial recognition (aka super recognition), and the phenomenon known as déjà vu.

#HubermanLab #Memory

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Timestamps
00:00:00 Memory, Improving Memory
00:02:45 Eight Sleep, Thesis, InsideTracker
00:07:54 Sensory Stimuli, Nervous System & Encoding Memory
00:11:12 Context & Memory Formation
00:13:46 Tool: Repetition, Improving Learning & Memory
00:17:11 Co-Activation and intensity Neuron Activation
00:20:50 Different Types of Memory
00:25:40 Memory Formation in the Brain, Hippocampus
00:28:00 Hippocampus, Role in Memory & Learning, Explicit vs. Implicit Memory
00:31:49 Emotion & Memory Enhancement
00:36:44 Tool: Emotion Saliency & Improved Memory
00:41:42 Conditioned-Placed Avoidance/Preference, Adrenaline
00:47:14 Adrenaline & Cortisol
00:49:35 Accelerating the Repetition Curve & Adrenaline
00:53:03 Tool: Enhancing Learning & Memory - Caffeine, Alpha-GPC & Stimulant Timing
01:00:50 Tool: Enhancing Learning & Memory - Sleep, Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR)
01:04:48 Tool: Enhancing Learning & Memory - Deliberate Cold Exposure, Adrenaline
01:08:42 Timing of Adrenaline Release & Memory Formation
01:12:36 Chronically High Adrenaline & Cortisol, Impact on Learning & Memory
01:15:12 Adrenaline Linked with Learning: Not a New Principle
01:17:25 Amygdala, Adrenaline & Memory Formation, Generalization of Memories
01:22:20 Tool: Cardiovascular Exercise & Neurogenesis
01:27:00 Cardiovascular Exercise, Osteocalcin & Improved Hippocampal Function
01:29:59 Load-Bearing Exercise, Osteocalcin & Cognitive Ability
01:34:41 Tool: Timing of Exercise, Learning & Memory Enhancement
01:37:29 Photographic Memory
01:38:49 “Super Recognizers,” Facial Recognition
01:41:46 Tool: Mental Snapshots, Photographs & Memory Enhancement
01:49:12 Déjà Vu
01:53:24 Tool: Meditation, Daily Timing of Meditation
02:02:21 How to Enhance Memory
02:05:51 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Patreon, Momentous Supplements, Instagram, Twitter, Neural Network Newsletter

The Huberman Lab Podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user’s own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.

[abdullahmohamed]

I can say now that there is a dopamine circuit in my brain that activates every time you release a podcast 🙂

[TheIllerX]

Intersting to hear about the research on the subject as usual.
A litte short TL;DR for everyone not having 2 hours to listen, but still want to know the research advice (as far as what I remember it).
How to improve learning:

1. Repetition (quite obvious as Huberman also says. This strengthens the connections in the brain)

2. Somehow try to raise your adrenaline and epinephrine levels AFTER you did something you want to remember. So drinking coffee or taking any other stimulus should be done after or near the end of the studying period.
It does not matter how you raise the adrenaline level, what matter is that you do raise the adrenaline level. Taking a cold shower is one such thing that can help with that.
Studies are mentioned telling us that you remember stuff that activates your emotions much easier. This adrenaline spike after studying imitates that and enables you to learn even rather boring stuff.

3. Cardivascular training seems to help memory. Not directly, but improving the blood flow, which makes your brains function better.

4. Taking "mental snapshots" helps memory. Taking actual pictures with a camera makes you remember the thing you take picture of better. However, you actually don't need the camera for this.
It is the mental process here that helps you remember. Studies showed that it does not matter if you ever look at the picture or not.

5. Powernaps, as mentioned in earlier episodes, helps to solidify memories in the brain. This should be done after studying, but it does not have to be immediately after studying as the previously mentioned adrenaline stimulues.

6. Daily meditation, 13 minutes is mentioned from a study, helps improving memory in the long run. It is said that you need 8 weeks to see some significant effects.

[Sid-rytw]

Key takeaways

1) Shear repetitions is sufficient to learn
2) high adrenaline helps memory to get stamped down
3) coffee (thus adrenaline) after or late in leaning period, not before, to spike up adrenaline, gives longer retention with less repetition
4) retention depends on delta of adrenaline’s levels (not dopamine’s)before and after of event, leverage this point
5) 180-200 minutes(~3hr)/week of zone 2 cardiovascular exercise gives indirect results (for new nuron formation (by oxytocin)in brain for retention)
6) Daily meditations, 13minites/day, early in the day for improvement in cognitive performance, No late night meditation- it disturbs the sleep, be patient: 8weeks min to see results

[joanpareja]

My whole life has changed for the better thanks to you Andrew. I was struggling with drugs, addictions and just an overall lack of motivation to improve my life. I am forever grateful for your endeavor.

[jaeb]

The video lasts for 2h, but I probably spent 4h or 5h on it, to take notes, to search on Google all the references you mentioned, and to think about how to apply that knowledge into my life. Really a great content, I am very grateful, thanks a lot for your fantastic, high-quality podcast!! This has an immense value!

[marzmontgomery]

Oh my gosh! This is so hugely fascinating to me as back in the late 80s, my daughter was diagnosed by UC Irvine Pediatric Neurology with slow, poorly organized, non-responsive brain waves with grade 2 disrythmia. I was told she wasn't capable of analytical thinking. I checked out books from the hospital medical library and learned that repetition was not building a path. I learned all about gestalt learners. I fashioned her whole environment to provide perfectly identical situations (blacked out her room, so watching Disney sing-along-songs -she liked music, and after months of repetition, she sang her first word, "Arpeggio" (only I could tell that was the word based on when she sang it- at the end of Aristocats song.) She didn't use it functionally, but she repeated! That was HUGE (age 3.5). So I knew she could learn. A year later, her first functional communication. She walked into the kitchen and said "oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" when Ariel first sees the fork spotlighted in all black in the little mermaid, she says, "oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" Based on tone inflection I knew she was asking for a fork! I majored in art and accounting, I had no education to "cure" her. 5 years later, when she was in normal classes at school, I took her back to UCI, and they said, "we know she is organizing information, but we don't know how she is doing it." I only have a million stories about how every little tiny thing had to be individually purposefully taught because of how her brain works. She is 35, college grad, married and works in a medical clinic. Even now, her brain doesn't process the same. I think someone in your lab might be fascinated by her case. Watching this episode has brought back a million memories for me and the years I fought the battle to give my daughter memory ❤️

[Trankilla]

I was just walking around my city listening to the podcast, so unitnetionally exercised. And at the end of the video I decided to take a cup of coffee to reinforce new knowledge, thanks to Andrew!

[mfischer]

Best podcast on YouTube right now! Always helps me get over my case of the Mondays. Lol.

[Luke_Stoltenberg]

I wish I could get this podcast on an intravenous drip. There's just not enough hours in the day for me to listen to every single podcast enough times to truly take them all in and there's barely a single one that isn't EXACTLY something I am trying to know more about. It's insane!

[shirishinherspace]

I used to meditate during evening hours and I used to have some sleep deprived problems. Now I know why !
Thank you for such an amazing learning resource you have provided in free of cost !
Thank you so much Andy !

[sarahehab]

A week ago, I looked up if Dr. Huberman had an episode on memory, lo & behold a week later an episode is released. Dr. Huberman you have helped me change my life and have given me hope at living a better life. Thank you for what you do! Grateful you exist.

[chongxj]

I’m now in my early 20s and experiencing some bad memory quite recently for god knows what reason- and this podcast comes out just right when I need it the most! Thank you dr Huberman. -sending appreciation from Malaysia

[inrising]

Kind of makes sense that spiking adrenaline AFTER the experience makes you remember it better. If you do something stupid that gets you in a dangerous adrenaline increasing situation, its important to remember what actions actually caused you to be in that situation so that you can avoid doing the same actions again.

[pdexBigTeacher]

As a secondary educator your videos should be required viewing for in-service educators, yet I'm almost embarrassed to admit that few teacher credentialing programs include this essential knowledge. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[udithkrishna]

Dr Huberman - I can't stress enough how much your work has helped me (and countless others I'm sure) you're a legend for doing this, especially free of cost!

I have some requests, if you could consider

1) Neural degeneration with age and how to prevent alzheimers, dementia etc

2) How our brain process numbers and math and how to get better at it

Please do consider making episodes on these! Would really help a lot of people I'm sure! Thanks a million once again for the amazing work that you do

[rishabhjainn]

What I learned from this podcast -
1. Repetition of material or skill you want to learn can enhance your learning by making connection between your neurons stronger.
2. Any information triggering a strong emotion which can either be positive or negative helps to remember things better.
3. After learning a particular Information or a skill increase in certain chemicals like Adrenaline can helps us remembering things better, We can increase this Adrenaline rush by many ways like taking a ice bath, electrical shock, caffein or any other pharamlogy substance.
4. Taking a nap of 20-90 minutes can also be helpful to remember things better after learning a info or a skill and even after Adrenaline increase.
5. Doing cardiovascular exercise can also enhance our memory power. Its is recommendes to perform such exercise at least 180-200 minutes a week.
6. Can we also use photographic memory by clicking mental snapshots of that image, person or material, etc. To enhance our memory but at the same time it reduces our ability to remember sound at that moment.
7. Daily meditation of around 13-15 minutes can increase our focus, memory, attention and emotional control.

[taracat]

When I used to study for exams I would study all morning when my brain was at its optimum, then watch daytime soaps for an hour or so as they would totally numb down my brain then I would do the hour walk to college and read hand written summaries whilst walking.
I did not know I had ADHD at that time but it was an amazing way to retain as much information just before an exam.

[odetemorim]

Oh God, Andrew, thank you! You don’ t know how much i’ m learning from this podcast!
The sound of your voice is sooo calm, and you have such a humble way of giving knowledge like that, you are one of a kind!
Greetings from a portuguese girl, studying Psychologie in paris, wich benefits tremendously from your work!
Thank you very very much!!!

[Ari.in.aus.]

My memory has slowly gotten worse and worse over the last three years due to alcohol and drug use and probably from trauma too. it worries me so much. Even my language abilities have lost functionality. I’m only 20 and have 5 years of a psychology degree left so being able to improve and manage my memory abilities and help reverse the damage I’ve done would be invaluable to me and my life. ❤️ the vid

[anhduongtran]

Thank you so much!
Your podcasts have positively impact many aspects of my life. I have severe ADHD and it affect a lot in my hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. I hope in another episode, you would focus on executive functioning skills and especially increasing cognitive load, flexible thinking and working memory.
Thank you so much for reading this comment!