In this episode, my guest is Nolan Williams, M.D., a triple board-certified psychiatrist, neurologist and professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford School of Medicine. He is also the Director of the Stanford Brain Stimulation Lab. We discuss clinical applications for brain stimulation, behavioral protocols and novel drug treatments to halt and reverse mental health disorders, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We first discuss the neural circuits for self-identity and mood and stress control. We discuss Dr. Williams’ work using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to depression, trauma, PTSD, and other mood disorders. We then dive deep into the history, biology, modern use, and safety margins of the various psychedelics, including MDMA, LSD, ketamine, ibogaine, ayahuasca, and psilocybin, as well as cannabis and the use of SSRIs in both adults and children. Finally, we discuss behavioral treatments for mental health disorders, including sleep and sleep deprivation, light exposure, exercise, and training to control the brain-heart-rate pathways. Regardless of age, all those interested in mental health should benefit from the incredible breadth and depth of Dr. Williams’ knowledge and the clarity with which he conveys that information.

#HubermanLab #Science

Thank you to our sponsors
AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman
InsideTracker: https://www.insidetracker.com/huberman
Eight Sleep: https://www.eightsleep.com/huberman
ROKA: https://www.roka.com/huberman

Supplements from Momentous
https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman

Huberman Lab Premium
https://hubermanlab.com/premium

Social & Website
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hubermanlab
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hubermanlab
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-huberman
Website: https://hubermanlab.com
Newsletter: https://hubermanlab.com/neural-network

Dr. Nolan Williams
Stanford Profile: https://profiles.stanford.edu/nolan-williams
Brain Stimulation Lab: https://bsl.stanford.edu
Publications: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=i4WyrcYAAAAJ&hl=en
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nolanrywilliams
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolan-williams-0802a324

Articles
Adjunctive triple chronotherapy (combined total sleep deprivation, sleep phase advance, and bright light therapy) rapidly improves mood and suicidality in suicidal depressed inpatients: An open label pilot study: https://bit.ly/3CJCWiv
Development of a rational scale to assess the harm of drugs of potential misuse: https://bit.ly/3fJPjSI

Books
Breaking Open the Head: https://amzn.to/3fVqbIG

Other Resources
Brain Stimulation Lab – Ongoing & Upcoming Studies: https://bsl.stanford.edu/clinical-trials
Magnus Medical: https://www.magnusmed.com

Timestamps
00:00:00 Dr. Nolan Williams, Brain Stimulation & Depression Treatment
00:03:31 Huberman Lab Premium
00:04:42 InsideTracker, Eight Sleep, ROKA
00:08:37 Momentous Supplements
00:09:16 Depression, Risk Factors, Emergency Psychiatric Treatments
00:15:11 The Brain-Heart Connection, Vagus Nerve, Prefrontal Cortex
00:17:51 Right vs. Left Brain Hemispheres & Mood Balance, Connectome
00:22:34 Heart Rate & Depression, Behavioral Interventions, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
00:33:02 Prefrontal Cortex & Cognitive Control, TMS
00:37:46 AG1 (Athletic Greens)
00:39:00 Belief/Identity “Rules”, Re-scripting, TMS & Talk Therapy
00:45:49 Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex, TMS & Depression Treatment
00:48:36 Cingulate Cortex & Emotion, Dissociation & Catatonia
00:54:27 Ketamine, the Opioid System & Depression; Psychedelic Experience or Biology?
01:03:42 SSRIs, Serotonin & Depression; Childhood, Chemical Imbalance or Circuit?
01:13:58 Memories & “Rule” Creation; Psilocybin & “Rule” Resolution
01:21:00 MDMA & Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Treatment, Psilocybin & Depression Treatment
01:24:12 Is MDMA Neurotoxic?, Drug Purity, Dopamine Surges, Post-MDMA Prolactin
01:30:38 Psilocybin, Brain Connectivity & Depression Treatment
01:34:53 Exposure Response Prevention: “Letting Go” & Depression Treatment
01:41:23 Normal Spectrums for Mental Health Disorders
01:45:35 Ibogaine & “Life Review”; PTSD, Depression & Clinical Trials
01:57:16 Clinical Use of Psychedelics
02:01:59 Ayahuasca, Brazilian Prisoner Study
02:06:55 Cannabis: THC, CBD & Psychosis, Clinical Uses
02:14:52 Personal Relative Drug Risk & Alcohol
02:20:42 Circadian Reset for Depression, Sleep Deprivation, Light
02:28:43 Stanford Neuromodulation Therapy (SNT) Study
02:34:25 Space Learning Theory & TMS Stimulation
02:45:35 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Huberman Lab Premium, Neural Network Newsletter, Social Media

Disclaimer: https://hubermanlab.com/disclaimer

Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac - https://www.blabacphoto.com