Huberman Lab

Dr. Casey Halpern: Biology & Treatments for Compulsive Behaviors & Binge Eating

Sep 26, 2022

Dr. Casey Halpern, Chief of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania, explores groundbreaking treatments for compulsive behaviors and binge eating. He discusses the potential of deep brain stimulation to transform the lives of patients suffering from disorders like OCD and eating disorders. The conversation covers the complexities of binge eating, societal stigma, and how innovative techniques like transcranial magnetic stimulation could reshape psychiatric care, paving the way for future advancements in mental health treatments.

02:11:00

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Episode guests

Casey Halpern

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Quick takeaways

Deep brain stimulation shows promise in treating compulsive and movement disorders, including binge eating disorders.

The nucleus accumbens plays a central role in reward processing and motivation, and targeted brain stimulation can restore normal function in this area.

Binge eating disorders can be influenced by a vulnerability to certain types of food and recurring stressful events.

Society's negative perception of binge eating disorders and obesity contributes to stigma and exacerbates the problem.

Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques like transcranial magnetic stimulation and ultrasound hold potential for treating various brain disorders.

Deep dives

Introduction to the Huberman Lab Podcast

In this episode of the Huberman Lab Podcast, the host Andrew Huberman, a neurobiology and ophthalmology professor at Stanford School of Medicine, interviews Dr. Casey Halpern, the Chief of Neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. They discuss the innovative approach taken by Dr. Halpern's laboratory to address eating disorders and obsessive-compulsive behaviors. Instead of relying solely on traditional therapies like medications and talk therapy, they focus on using engineered devices, including deep brain stimulation, to directly stimulate specific neurons in the brain. Dr. Halpern shares insights from their research on using deep brain stimulation to treat loss of control eating and the underlying role of the nucleus accumbens, an area of the brain associated with motivation and reward-seeking behavior.

The Problem with Sustained Treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

00:32

The Two-Hit Hypothesis and the Most Common Eating Disorder

01:16

Essential tremor

00:59

Epilepsy Monitoring Units

01:42

Intro

4min

Enhancing Vision and Sleep Quality Through Innovative Technology

3min

Exploring the Precision of Neurosurgery and Its Distinctions

2min

Neurosurgery and the Depths of the Mind

22min

The Impact of Stimulants and Superstition on Compulsive Behavior

4min

Navigating Compulsive Behaviors and Mental Health

14min

Understanding Binge Eating Disorder

27min

Navigating Eating Disorders and Brain Stimulation

19min

Advancements in Mental Health Interventions

18min

10.

Balancing Act: Neurosurgeons and Their Wellbeing

19min

11.

Exploring Deep Brain Stimulation for Eating Disorders

3min

My guest is Casey Halpern, M.D., Chief of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery and Professor of Neurosurgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Halpern’s research and clinical practice focus on using deep brain stimulation to treat compulsive and movement disorders (e.g., binge eating disorders, bulimia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Parkinson’s disease essential tremor, dystonia). We discuss using deep brain stimulation to help patients who suffer from movement and compulsive disorders and applying this treatment to patients afflicted with binge eating. We also explore applications of this technology to other conditions such as OCD, anorexia and tremor, and the future therapeutic directions of the use of non-invasive brain stimulation approaches, including transcranial magnetic stimulation and ultrasound, for the treatment of other psychiatric illnesses and conditions. This episode will interest those curious about the biology of eating, anorexia, bulimia, compulsive thoughts and behaviors, and movement.

For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com.

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Timestamps

(00:00:00) Dr. Casey Halpern & Disordered Eating & Brain Stimulation

(00:03:35) Sponsor: LMNT

(00:08:28) Neurosurgeon’s View of the Brain, Neurosurgery Specialization

(00:13:05) Deep Brain Stimulation & Other Unexpected Positive Effects

(00:17:20) Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Prescriptions & Cognitive Therapies

(00:25:40) Brain Areas in OCD, Risk, Rewards & Addiction

(00:29:30) Sponsor: AG1

(00:32:27) Facial and Vocal Ticks, Stimulants, Stress & Superstition

(00:39:28) Nucleus Accumbens, Reward Circuits, Eating Disorders & Obesity

(00:47:18) Stimulation of Nucleus Accumbens, Continuous vs. Episodic Stimulation

(00:49:49) Binge Eating Disorder & Loss of Control Eating

(00:53:02) Developing Binge Eating Disorder: Predisposition, Environment, Stress

(01:02:07) Electrodes in Nucleus Accumbens, Identifying “Craving Cells”

(01:11:41) Effects of Stimulation, Interrupting Craving, Intermediate Stimulation

(01:16:46) Anorexia, Obesity & Compulsions, Potential Treatments for Anorexia

(01:23:14) Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

(01:32:27) MRI-Guided Focused Ultrasound: Tremor, Essential Tremor & Parkinson’s

(01:36:40) Future of Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation, Epilepsy & Depression

(01:41:51) Pre-Behavioral States in Compulsion & Awareness, Mood Provocation

(01:48:02) Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence & Compulsion Predictions

(01:53:05) Neurosurgeon Hands, Resistance Training & Deadlifts

(01:59:00) “Neurosurgeon Calm,” Quality Time & Prioritization, Neurosurgeon Training

(02:09:53) Daily Habits: Sleep, Exercise, Mediation

(02:11:59) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Momentous Supplements, Neural Network Newsletter, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn

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Huberman Lab

Dr. Casey Halpern: Biology & Treatments for Compulsive Behaviors & Binge Eating

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Introduction to the Huberman Lab Podcast

Understanding OCD and its Brain Circuits

Exploring Binge Eating Disorder and Obesity

The Role of Nucleus Accumbens and Reward Circuits

Factors contributing to binge eating disorders

Stigma and societal impact

Exploring deep brain stimulation

Ultrasound for Non-Invasive Brain Treatment

The Role of Awareness and Self-Reflection in Neurosurgery

The Problem with Sustained Treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

The Two-Hit Hypothesis and the Most Common Eating Disorder

Essential tremor

Epilepsy Monitoring Units

Thank you to our sponsors

Timestamps

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts