Karl Deisseroth is a professor of bioengineering, psychiatry, and behavioral sciences at Stanford University. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – BiOptimizers: http://www.magbreakthrough.com/lex to get 10% off – BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/lex to get 10% off – Notion: https://notion.com/startups to get up to $1000 off team plan – Blinkist: https://blinkist.com/lex and use code LEX to get 25% off premium – Magic Spoon: https://magicspoon.com/lex and use code LEX to get $5 off EPISODE LINKS: Karl’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/karldeisseroth Karl’s Website: https://web.stanford.edu/group/dlab Projections (book): https://amzn.to/3NKmdiJ PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: – Check out the sponsors above, it’s the best way to support this podcast – Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman – Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman – Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) – Introduction (06:58) – Mental disorders (15:31) – Intelligence (18:10) – James Joyce (26:47) – Writing (30:11) – Projections (33:46) – Translation (36:17) – Poetry (45:00) – Love (50:34) – Psychiatry (53:46) – Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung (1:02:30) – Data in cells (1:06:33) – Optogenetics (1:22:01) – Neuralink (1:34:49) – Psychedelics (1:41:13) – Depression (1:56:38) – Talk therapy and psychoanalysis (2:00:19) – Good Will Hunting (2:10:55) – Darkest moments (2:12:26) – Suicide (2:29:31) – Autism (2:49:09) – Schizophrenia (3:00:18) – Why we cry (3:07:30) – Consciousness (3:22:01) – Mortality (3:23:41) – Meaning of life

Dr. Karl Deisseroth, MD, PhD, is a clinical psychiatrist and scientist who directs a bioengineering research laboratory at Stanford University School of Medicine. His work aims to understand and develop treatments for disorders of the mind such as depression, attention deficit disorders (ADHD & ADD), autism, schizophrenia, anxiety, eating disorders, borderline personality and obsessive-compulsive disorder. We discuss his experience treating his patients and his laboratory’s mission to find and develop cures for mental disease and tools for probing how the brain works. Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com.Thank you to our sponsorsAG1: https://athleticgreens.com/hubermanLMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlabWaking Up: https://wakingup.com/hubermanMomentous: https://livemomentous.com/hubermanTimestamps00:00:00 Introduction  00:03:47 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up00:07:41 Using Language to Understand the Mind  00:12:19 Blood Tests For Mental Disease  00:13:38 The Largest Challenges Facing Treatment of Mental Health  00:20:21 Predicting Depression & Suicide  00:22:47 Drugs That Work for Brain Illness  00:27:01 What Would A Cure For the Broken Mind Look Like?  00:32:23 Channelopsins: Tools For Understanding & Treating the Mind  00:39:10 Curing Blindness with Channelopsins  00:41:58 Why Karl Became a Scientist  00:47:10 Vagus Nerve In Depression  00:54:12 Challenges To Overcome for Treating Mental Illness with Channelopsins  00:58:34 Using the Dialogue with Patients to Guide Treatment  01:00:52 How Our Eyes Reveal Our Mental Health  01:06:04 Controlling Structures Deep In the Brain  01:08:23 The Most Effective Drugs Often Have the Most Side Effects  01:09:50 Do Psychiatrists Take the Drugs They Prescribe  01:14:15 Moving From Experimental Tools To Novel Treatments  01:16:00 Brain-Machine Interfaces & Neuralink  01:19:30 ADHD & Dr. Deisseroth’s Approach To Focusing His Mind  01:26:36 How Dr. Deisseroth Balances A Career In Medicine, Science & Family  01:35:41 New Ways of Exploring Brains: CLARITY  01:38:49 What Is Special About the Human Brain?  01:46:03 Psychedelics  01:54:12 MDMA  01:57:15 Dr. Deisseroth’s New Book “Projections: A Story of Emotions”  01:59:42 Connecting with Dr. Deisseroth on Twitter  Disclaimer & Disclosures

View the Show Notes Page for This Episode Become a Member to Receive Exclusive Content Episode Description: Karl Deisseroth is a world-renowned clinical psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and author of Projections: A Story of Human Emotions. In the episode, Karl explains his unique career path that led to the development of optogenetics—a revolutionary technique that uses specialized light-sensitive ion channels to precisely control the activity of select populations of neurons. Karl provides a concise overview of how optogenetics works and how it can be used to better understand mental illness, to identify the neurons responsible for specific behaviors, and to guide development of new treatments. Karl uses his experience as a practicing psychiatrist to provide deep insights into depression, anxiety, autism, and personality disorders and explains the role of optogenetics in mapping out brain regions responsible for common mental health afflictions. We discuss: Karl’s journey through medical school and interest in the brain [5:00]; A profound medical school experience that changed Karl’s career path to psychiatry [17:30]; Karl’s commitment to research and challenges overcome early in his career [27:00]; The state of psychiatry and mental health therapies when Karl started his lab in 2004 [33:15]; Neuroscience 101: fundamentals of neuroanatomy and neurophysiology [38:15]; Traditional techniques for identifying the brain regions involved in specific behaviors [47:15];   Intro to optogenetics and how to get a gene into a neuron [51:15]; How viruses helped make optogenetics possible [1:01:45];   How optogenetics was used to investigate the effects of dopamine neurons [1:15:45]; Appreciating the power of optogenetics [1:22:00]; Investigating and treating anxiety with optogenetics [1:26:45]; Autism and autism-related anxiety, and the potential of optogenetics in treating autism [1:38:00]; Optogenetics as a powerful tool for the discovery and creation of medical treatments [1:45:00]; Karl’s inspiration to write his book, Projections [1:48:00]; Mania and bipolar disorder: evolutionary basis, symptoms, and the high prevalence in North America [1:52:45]; Depression: evolutionary basis and insights from optogenetics [2:03:15]; The effects of trauma early in life [2:18:45]; and More. Sign Up to Receive Peter’s Weekly Newsletter Connect With Peter on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook & YouTube

Neuroscientist Karl Deisseroth discusses how optogenetics helps understand brain functions and develop targeted treatments. He explores various mental disorders, genetics, and challenges in medication-based treatments. The podcast also delves into the ethical implications of brain manipulation through optogenetics for behavior control.

Karl Deisseroth, bioengineer and psychiatrist, talks about his research techniques shaping our understanding of the brain. Topics include optogenetics, controlling brain cells with light, and CLARITY, rendering the brain transparent. He discusses the challenges of balancing technology development and scientific exploration in neuroscience.