Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

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In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, my guest is Dr. Casey Halpern, MD, a professor of neurosurgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. We discuss how deep brain stimulation and other neuromodulation approaches are being used to treat Parkinson's disease, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), binge eating disorder and depression-related symptoms. We also explore the brain circuits that drive compulsions, cravings and impulsivity, as well as emerging non-invasive tools for predicting and treating harmful behaviors.

Show notes: go.hubermanlab.com/QTgU0Jx

Watch more Huberman Lab Essentials: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPNW_gerXa4OGNy1yE-W9IX-tPu-tJa7S&si=a1_sA7rUT-fE0OM5

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Dr. Casey Halpern
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Timestamps
00:00:00 Casey Halpern
00:00:20 Neurosurgery, Deep Brain Stimulation
00:04:19 Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) & Treatments
00:10:11 OCD Brain Areas, Addiction
00:12:34 Nucleus Accumbens, Risk & Rewards; Binge Eating Disorder
00:16:50 Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
00:24:33 Awareness of Cravings, Severe Binge Eating Disorder
00:28:38 Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning & Predicting Impulsive Behavior
00:32:44 Acknowledgements

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