Boost Learning with Science-Based Mental Training & Visualization | Huberman Lab 

Dr. Andrew Huberman, Ph.D. is a Professor of Neurobiology and Ophthalmology at Stanford University School of Medicine. His lab focuses on neural regeneration, neuroplasticity, and brain states such as stress, focus, fear, and optimal performance.

In this episode of the Huberman Lab Podcast, Andrew Huberman breaks down the science of mental visualization as it applies to learning motor and cognitive skills. He reviews neuroplasticity-based skill development and the roles of focus, sleep, movement restriction, and agitation.!

Host: Andrew Huberman (@hubermanlab)

Mental training and visualization rely on neuroplasticity

Types of neuroplasticity: Developmental neuroplasticity is passive plasticity that takes place between birth and 25 years old; it evokes changes in the nervous system simply by engaging in the world Self-directed adult neuroplasticity starts in early adolescence and extends through the rest of life and is directed toward specific learning (motor or cognitive)

Self-directed adult plasticity requires (2) focused, dedicated attention (often accompanied by agitation) towards a specific thing we are trying to learn; and (2) periods of deep rest, particularly sleep on the first night following training/learning bout Once you sleep, you will learn even if it’s on the second or third night but the first night is most ideal

A lot of ability to get better at something involves long-term depression (change in excitability between neurons) and long-term potentiation (increase in synaptic strength)

“Mental training and visualization cannot replace execution of real-world cognitive or motor tasks you want to learn…but is effective in enhancing the speed at which you learn and the stability of that learning over time.” – Dr. Andrew Huberman

Mental training enhances net excitation of the cerebellum to motor cortex communication; reduces inhibition so movement can be generated with more accuracy and speed

Mental training and visualization are best used to enhance the speed or accuracy of a skill you already have some proficiency at, not necessarily for learning new things

Perceptual experiences: during visualization, the visual cortex and visual areas become active similarly to the way they would in the real world A small percentage of people have an inability to mentally visual things but most people are quite good

Most people cannot imagine long, extended scenes that go on for several minutes; we’re best at visualization, mental training, or auditory sequences that last about 15 seconds

The processing speed of imagined/visualized experiences is exactly the same as the processing speed in the real world – mental visualization at the neural level is identical to real-world events (though not as effective)

Principles of mental visualization: (1) visualization needs to be brief (15-20 seconds) and repeated; (2) mental training recaptures neural patterns of firing in the same way as real-world behavior and thinking but is not as effective as real-world behavior and thinking; (3) mental training will be more effective if real-world and visual experiences are very similar; (4) mental training and visualization should assign labels to what you’re doing that can match real-world training and experiences; (5) performing and processing complex tasks or learning takes longer in mental visualization and mental training just like it would in the real world

Mental imagery vs real-world imagery and perception: if you are given the task of visualizing something in the ceiling, you will look up even through closed eyes; if you are given the task of visualizing something far apart on a map it will take you longer than if you’re told to visualize something right next to each other – and so on

Mental training dose: 50-75 repetitions per session, 2-8 times per week – stop when you feel satisfied with translation in real world

Ratio of real-world training versus mental training: real-world training is more effective than mental training – and mental training is more effective than no training (for example, sidelined due to injury) In other words, if you have the option of performing the real-world training 10 hours per week or mental training 10 hours per week, you’ll benefit more from the real world; if that’s not an option then mental training is better than nothing And remember, a combination or real-world training and mental training is best

Good sleep is critical! Ideally, a good night of sleep on the day of mental or physical training is optimal; good sleep on the second or third night is still helpful

There are no significant differences between males and females inability to benefit from mental training & visualization

First-person mental training & visualization versus third-person mental training & visualization: First-person: seeing yourself doing something; more effective Watching videos of yourself doing something is considered first person but you do need to watch repeatedly Third person: imagining someone else doing something; less effective than first person

If you want to stop or inhibit a particular movement or action: It’s especially important to perform mental training and real-world training in combination Changes occur quickly Mix both ‘go’ and ‘no go’ training (i.e., train the action as well as the action withholding component)

Some people perceptually blend (aphantasia) – in other words, imagine a piano note and see a color associated Aphantasia is considered on the autism spectrum but it’s not clear the direction of correlation

There is a relationship between one’s ability to generate visual imagery and other cognitive and emotional perception

Articles Statistics of Mental Imagery ( Mind ) Best practice for motor imagery: a systematic literature review on motor imagery training elements in five different disciplines ( BMC Medicine ) Sleep and the Time Course of Motor Skill Learning ( Learning & Memory ) Mental practice modulates functional connectivity between the cerebellum and the primary motor cortex ( iScience ) Motor Imagery Combined With Physical Training Improves Response Inhibition in the Stop Signal Task ( Frontiers in Psychology ) What is the relationship between Aphantasia, Synaesthesia and Autism? ( Consciousness and Cognition ) Chapter 15 – Aphantasia: The science of visual imagery extremes ( Handbook of Clinical Neurology ) Visual mental imagery and visual perception: Structural equivalence revealed by scanning processes ( Memory & Cognition ) Using motor imagery practice for improving motor performance – A review ( Brain & Cognition ) Motor Imagery Combined With Physical Training Improves Response Inhibition in the Stop Signal Task ( Frontiers in Psychology ) Visual images preserve metric spatial information: Evidence from studies of image scanning. ( Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance ) Acquisition and consolidation processes following motor imagery practice ( Scientific Reports )

Other Resources Mobius strip Impossible cube Rubin’s vase Stop-Signal Task (Click on “Run the Demo” in the left-hand margin. Requires keyboard; not for smartphone)