David Eagleman

But acetylcholine is what happens when you're saying, I want to make plastic changes to the system. Let me just give you an example. Yeah, yeah. An experiment with mice, and they have to learn how to reach through a narrow slot to grab pellets and whatever. And they get better and better at it. And the parts of their brain that are involved in this task actually grow in their real estate.

Okay, now you take an equivalent set of rats, you give them an acetylcholine blocker. They do exactly the same number of trials they're doing the thing, but they don't get better and their brain doesn't change. They don't ever get better at the task. They're not faster at doing it because they don't have the plasticity available to them anymore. Because you need the acetylcholine.

Okay, now you take an equivalent set of rats, you give them an acetylcholine blocker. They do exactly the same number of trials they're doing the thing, but they don't get better and their brain doesn't change. They don't ever get better at the task. They're not faster at doing it because they don't have the plasticity available to them anymore. Because you need the acetylcholine.

Okay, now you take an equivalent set of rats, you give them an acetylcholine blocker. They do exactly the same number of trials they're doing the thing, but they don't get better and their brain doesn't change. They don't ever get better at the task. They're not faster at doing it because they don't have the plasticity available to them anymore. Because you need the acetylcholine.

By the way, something that, of course, we know is all of the neuromodulators and neurotransmitter systems, these are all working together in a very complicated dance. So, you know, dopamine is involved in saying like, hey, that was, you know, good, bad, better or worse than expected. But acetylcholine is the thing that says, hey, let's make plasticity available here.

By the way, something that, of course, we know is all of the neuromodulators and neurotransmitter systems, these are all working together in a very complicated dance. So, you know, dopamine is involved in saying like, hey, that was, you know, good, bad, better or worse than expected. But acetylcholine is the thing that says, hey, let's make plasticity available here.

By the way, something that, of course, we know is all of the neuromodulators and neurotransmitter systems, these are all working together in a very complicated dance. So, you know, dopamine is involved in saying like, hey, that was, you know, good, bad, better or worse than expected. But acetylcholine is the thing that says, hey, let's make plasticity available here.

Yeah, it's interesting because there's so many acetylcholine blockers that are used in animals for things, but I don't know what the emotional experience is for a human on that. My guess, if I were just pulling something out of a hat, would be that they just feel like they don't care about this particular thing.

Yeah, it's interesting because there's so many acetylcholine blockers that are used in animals for things, but I don't know what the emotional experience is for a human on that. My guess, if I were just pulling something out of a hat, would be that they just feel like they don't care about this particular thing.

Yeah, it's interesting because there's so many acetylcholine blockers that are used in animals for things, but I don't know what the emotional experience is for a human on that. My guess, if I were just pulling something out of a hat, would be that they just feel like they don't care about this particular thing.

I don't know. I don't know. Good question. But just, you know, I'm trying to think through what it would feel like. Imagine that you were trying to learn a new sport that you haven't played. You know, pickleball, let's say. So you're... And we're both learning the sport at the same time. And for some reason, it's really relevant to us.

I don't know. I don't know. Good question. But just, you know, I'm trying to think through what it would feel like. Imagine that you were trying to learn a new sport that you haven't played. You know, pickleball, let's say. So you're... And we're both learning the sport at the same time. And for some reason, it's really relevant to us.

I don't know. I don't know. Good question. But just, you know, I'm trying to think through what it would feel like. Imagine that you were trying to learn a new sport that you haven't played. You know, pickleball, let's say. So you're... And we're both learning the sport at the same time. And for some reason, it's really relevant to us.

But if one of us got acetylcholine blockers, my assumption would be that we feel like, we just don't care about this thing. You know, I'm more interested in what's going on over there or something. We wouldn't particularly care.

But if one of us got acetylcholine blockers, my assumption would be that we feel like, we just don't care about this thing. You know, I'm more interested in what's going on over there or something. We wouldn't particularly care.

But if one of us got acetylcholine blockers, my assumption would be that we feel like, we just don't care about this thing. You know, I'm more interested in what's going on over there or something. We wouldn't particularly care.

Okay, so you talked about, we had a bit of... Sorry, let me just give another example of that. Okay, so when somebody gets a stroke, and let's say they get a stroke and they lose the function in their left arm, their left arm's mostly paralyzed, and they can do things with their right hand. Well, so the way that you need to operate to get the left hand working again is,

Okay, so you talked about, we had a bit of... Sorry, let me just give another example of that. Okay, so when somebody gets a stroke, and let's say they get a stroke and they lose the function in their left arm, their left arm's mostly paralyzed, and they can do things with their right hand. Well, so the way that you need to operate to get the left hand working again is,

Okay, so you talked about, we had a bit of... Sorry, let me just give another example of that. Okay, so when somebody gets a stroke, and let's say they get a stroke and they lose the function in their left arm, their left arm's mostly paralyzed, and they can do things with their right hand. Well, so the way that you need to operate to get the left hand working again is,

Do you know what they do clinically? So what they do is what's called constraint therapy. This is the single best move. You take the right hand, which is working well, and you pin it down. You strap some of it so that they're forced to use their left hand. Necessity. Yeah, exactly. Necessity. That's the relevance. So now I want to get the sandwich to my mouth. I have to use the left arm.