In this episode, my guest is Dr. E.J. Chichilnisky, Ph.D., a professor of neurosurgery and ophthalmology at Stanford University. He studies how we see and uses that information to build artificial eyes that restore vision to the blind.

We discuss how understanding the retina (the light-sensing brain tissue that lines the back of our eyes) is critical to knowing how our brain works more generally.

We discuss brain augmentation with biologically informed prostheses, robotics, and AI and what this means for medicine and humanity.

We also discuss E.J.’s unique journey into neuroscience and how changing fields multiple times, combined with some wandering, taught him how to guide his decision-making in all realms of life.

This episode ought to be of interest to anyone interested in learning how the brain works from a world-class neuroscientist, those interested in the future of brain therapeutics and people seeking inspiration and tools for navigating their own professional and life journey.

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Dr. E.J. Chichilnisky
Academic profile: https://stanford.io/3TdtdIg
Publications: https://stanford.io/4adV0iM
Lab website: https://stan.md/49UpMNL
Chichilnisky Lab Make a Gift: https://stan.md/4cmqSns
Lab media: https://stan.md/4cgmIgH
Stanford Artificial Retina Project: https://stan.md/3IGydAl
Stanford Artificial Retina Project Make a Gift: https://stan.md/3ThSt0h
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/e-j-chichilnisky-97857429
X: https://twitter.com/StanfordRetina

Article & Other Resources
Donor Network West: https://www.donornetworkwest.org
NeuraLink: https://neuralink.com
National Eye Institute: https://www.nei.nih.gov

Huberman Lab Episodes Mentioned
Dr. Erich Jarvis: The Neuroscience of Speech, Language & Music: https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/dr-erich-jarvis-the-neuroscience-of-speech-language-and-music

People Mentioned
Krishna Shenoy: professor of engineering, Stanford: https://stanford.io/49Z9Rhw
Jaimie Henderson: professor of neurosurgery, Stanford: https://stanford.io/48Yl2Wb
Eddie Chang: professor of neurosurgery, UCSF: https://bit.ly/3SLsjmd
Eric Knudsen: professor of neurobiology, Stanford: https://stanford.io/48XgZcW
Robert G. Heath: psychiatrist, early brain stimulation research: https://bit.ly/3TAIaFP
Brian Wandell: professor of psychology, Stanford: https://stan.md/3TEgVtW
Markus Meister: professor of biology, Caltech: https://bit.ly/3x5iE2y

Timestamps
00:00:00 Dr. E.J. Chichilnisky
00:02:31 Sponsors: Eight Sleep, ROKA & BetterHelp
00:06:06 Vision & Brain; Retina
00:11:23 Retina & Visual Processing
00:18:37 Vision in Humans & Other Animals, Color
00:23:01 Studying the Human Retina
00:29:48 Sponsor: AG1
00:31:16 Cell Types
00:36:00 Determining Cell Function in Retina
00:43:39 Retinal Cell Types & Stimuli
00:49:27 Retinal Prostheses, Implants
01:00:25 Artificial Retina, Augmenting Vision
01:06:05 Sponsor: InsideTracker
01:07:12 Neuroengineering, Neuroaugmentation & Specificity
01:17:01 Building a Smart Device, AI
01:20:02 Neural Prosthesis, Paralysis; Specificity
01:25:21 Neurodegeneration; Adult Neuroplasticity; Implant Specificity
01:34:00 Career Journey, Music & Dance, Neuroscience
01:42:55 Self-Understanding, Coffee; Self-Love, Meditation & Yoga
01:47:50 Body Signals & Decisions; Beauty
01:57:49 Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, YouTube Feedback, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

#HubermanLab #Neuroscience #EyeHealth

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

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