Essentials: The Science of Learning & Speaking Languages | Dr. Eddie Chang
In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, my guest is Dr. Eddie Chang, MD, a neurosurgeon and Chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). We discuss the neural circuits underlying speech and language, including how the brain controls the larynx, vocal folds and articulators to shape breath into words. We also explore his pioneering work on speech neural prosthetics — brain-machine interfaces that allow paralyzed patients to communicate by decoding neural activity into speech and avatar-driven facial expressions. Additionally, we examine the neurobiology of stuttering, the role of auditory feedback in fluent speech, and the broader ethical questions surrounding brain augmentation technologies.
Read the episode show notes at hubermanlab.com.
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Timestamps
(00:00:00) Speech & Language
(00:00:23) Speech vs Language, Pragmatics, Semantics & Syntax
(00:03:11) Larynx, Vocal Folds & Shaping the Breath
(00:05:35) Crying & Laughter, Vocalizations vs Speech
(00:06:37) Sponsor: Function
(00:08:52) Paralysis, Brainstem Stroke, ALS & Locked-In Syndrome
(00:10:52) BRAVO Trial, Pancho & First Patient
(00:12:31) Brain Surgery, Electrode Array & Decoding Speech
(00:14:34) AI, 50-Word Vocabulary & Autocorrect
(00:16:06) Sponsor: BetterHelp
(00:17:30) Neuralink, Brain-Machine Interfaces & Augmentation Ethics
(00:22:21) Avatars, Facial Expressions & Non-Verbal Communication
(00:25:48) Sponsor: AG1
(00:27:12) Stuttering, Anxiety & Speech vs Language
(00:30:18) Tool: Stuttering Therapy & Auditory Feedback
(00:31:50) Recap & Acknowledgments
Disclaimer & Disclosures
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The Huberman Lab podcast is hosted by Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., a neuroscientist and tenured professor in the department of neurobiology, and by courtesy, psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford School of Medicine. The podcast discusses neuroscience and science-based tools, including how our brain and its connections with the organs of our body control our perceptions, our behaviors, and our health, as well as existing and emerging tools for measuring and changing how our nervous system works.
Huberman has made numerous significant contributions to the fields of brain development, brain function, and neural plasticity, which is the ability of our nervous system to rewire and learn new behaviors, skills, and cognitive functioning. He is a McKnight Foundation and Pew Foundation Fellow and was awarded the Cogan Award, given to the scientist making the most significant discoveries in the study of vision, in 2017.
Work from the Huberman Laboratory at Stanford School of Medicine has been published in top journals, including Nature, Science, and Cell, and has been featured in TIME, BBC, Scientific American, Discover, and other top media outlets.
In 2021, Dr. Huberman launched the Huberman Lab podcast. The podcast is frequently ranked in the top 10 of all podcasts globally and is often ranked #1 in the categories of Science, Education, and Health & Fitness.