Using The Bleeding Edge of Neuroscience to Optimize Your Brain with Dr. Daniel Chao

In this episode we discuss cutting edge brain hacks that sound like they are straight out of science fiction. Is it possible to use technology to rapidly change the structure of your brain? How does your brain actually learn? What is neuroplasticity and why is it so important? What are the key things you can do in your life to improve your brain health, memory and performance? We discuss all of this, along with a truly innovative technology that may be the key to unlocking super performance and massively accelerating your learning with our guest Dr. Daniel Chao. Dr. Daniel Chao is a neurotech entrepreneur, specializing in devices that improve brain performance. He is the co-founder and CEO of Halo Neuroscience. The company’s first product, Halo Sport, is the first neurostimulation system built specifically for athletes. Before Halo, Dr. Chao was the head of business development at NeuroPace, and a consultant at McKinsey & Company.Your brain is a living computer chip that can create new circuits on demandYour brain is “plastic” The Nobel prize in the year 2000 went to the scientists who discovered neuroplasticity and the mechanisms behind itNeuroplasticity is the process by which the brain learnsWhat actually happens in the brain when you are learning a new skill?What happens to the brain and your neural connections when you learn a new skill?Focused, repetitive, deliberate practice starts to build thicker and thicker and faster and faster neural connections Repetition is the foundation of practice - you’re literally building physical connections in your brain that get stronger and stronger, the more you repeat that practice The first time you learn something it’s like hacking a path through the jungle with a machete, then it’s like hiking through tough brush, then it’s a dirt road, then it becomes a paved road, then ultimately a highway and a superhighway “Myleanation”- the cabling inside the brain The brain is a plastic organ and it adapts to your needs Repeated practice, learning, and thoughts literall