Essentials: Understanding & Healing the Mind | Dr. Karl Deisseroth

Andrew Huberman

May 15, 2025

Episode description

In this episode of Huberman Lab Essentials, my guest is ⁠Dr. Karl Deisseroth, M.D., Ph.D.⁠, a clinical psychiatrist and professor of bioengineering and of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University.

We discuss his experiences as a clinician treating complex psychiatric conditions and his lab’s pioneering work in developing transformative therapies for mental illness. He explains the complexities of mental illness and how emerging technologies—such as optogenetics and brain-machine interfaces—could revolutionize care. We also explore promising new therapies, including psychedelics and MDMA, for conditions like depression and PTSD.

Read the episode show notes: https://go.hubermanlab.com/0M1gSQ0

Huberman Lab Essentials are short episodes focused on essential science and protocol takeaways from past full-length Huberman Lab episodes. Watch the full-length episode: https://youtu.be/w9MXqXBZy9U

Watch more Huberman Lab Essentials episodes: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPNW_gerXa4OGNy1yE-W9IX-tPu-tJa7S

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*Dr. Karl Deisseroth*
Stanford academic profile: https://profiles.stanford.edu/karl-deisseroth
Website: http://deisseroth.com
Lab website: https://dlab.stanford.edu
Projections: A Story of Human Emotions (book): https://amzlink.to/az0jxcLUA11Dj
X: https://x.com/KarlDeisseroth

*Timestamps*
00:00:00 Karl Deisseroth; Neurology vs Psychiatry
00:01:36 Speech; Blood Test?; Seeking Help
00:04:20 Feelings, Jargon; Psychiatric Treatment
00:09:40 Future Treatment; Vagus Nerve Stimulation, Depression, Optogenetics
00:18:24 Brain-Machine Interfaces
00:19:37 ADHD Symptoms, Lifestyle, Technology
00:26:10 Psychedelics, Depression Treatment, Risks
00:32:19 MDMA (Ecstasy), Trauma & Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Treatment
00:35:21 Projections: A Story of Human Emotions Book, Optimism

Disclaimer & Disclosures: https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer

Episode description

Mindsip insights from this episode:

Develop at-home ADHD diagnostics with quantitative EEG technology

Quantitative EEG-based diagnostics, using a non-invasive skull cap with electrodes, are being developed for ADHD and may one day lead to at-home tests.

#ADHD

#testing

Discover vagus nerve stimulation's origins in depression and epilepsy treatment

Vagus nerve stimulation was initially explored as a treatment for depression and epilepsy primarily because the nerve is surgically accessible in the neck.

#depression

#vagus-nerve

Utilize ECT for severe, treatment-resistant depression

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an extraordinarily effective treatment for severe, treatment-resistant depression, often working when medications fail.

#depression

#therapy

Address untreated anxiety to prevent depression

If you have a serious untreated anxiety issue for a year or more, it can convert into depression, adding another problem on top of the anxiety.

#anxiety

#depression

Leverage MDMA therapy to reshape relationship dynamics

The lasting benefit of MDMA therapy may come from the brain learning from the acute experience of extreme connectedness, creating a new, stable model for what's possible in relationships.

#relationships

#therapy

Utilize psychedelics to break rigid thought patterns in depression

Psychedelics may work by increasing the brain's willingness to accept unlikely hypotheses, helping to break the rigid, hopeless thought patterns common in depression.

#depression

#psychedelics

Recognize phone checking as a functional behavior, not a disorder

A behavior like frequent phone checking is not considered a psychiatric disorder unless it disrupts social or occupational functioning, which for many people, it currently enhances.