Essentials: Tools to Boost Attention & Memory | Dr. Wendy Suzuki
What Makes a Moment Stick?
Andrew Huberman sits down with Dr. Wendy Suzuki to deconstruct the neurobiology of why we remember the birth of a child but forget where we put our keys five minutes ago.
Novelty
The first time. The brain is an attention-seeking missile for the "new."
Repetition
The classic grind. Doing it over and over until the circuit burns in.
Association
The "web" of knowledge. Connecting the new guy to everyone you already know.
Emotional Resonance
The saddest and happiest moments. The Amygdala acting as a turbocharger for the Hippocampus.
Memory Salience Drivers
Note: Emotional Resonance provides the highest immediate "stamp" on long-term memory.
The Seahorse in the Skull
The word Hippocampus literally means "seahorse." Anatomically, it is a beautiful, intertwining structure. But its beauty is matched by its fragility. Suzuki reminds us of 1953, the year that changed neuroscience forever.
Without this structure, you are trapped in a perpetual present. You lose your personal history. You lose your identity. But the most shocking discovery wasn't just about the past; it was about the future.
If you can't remember, you can't imagine.
We used to think the hippocampus was just a filing cabinet for facts. Neuroscientists are now realizing it’s actually a generative engine. It takes the "what, where, and when" of your past and remixes them to simulate futures you haven't lived yet.
"Memory is too simple a way to think about it," Suzuki argues. It’s about Association Writ Large. Past, present, or future—if you are connecting dots, you are using your seahorse.
Intermission: Mental Maintenance
"Therapy is a lot like physical workouts. There are days when I want to do it, and days when I don't... but I always come away with a valuable insight."
Support the show: BetterHelpThere are some memories that can be formed very quickly—so-called one-trial learning. What is it about emotional events that allow memories to get stamped in instantly?
Coming up next: How fear, focus, and exercise collide to supercharge your attention.
The Crowbar Memory
"I rounded the corner to my door... it was crowbarred in. Somebody had taken a crowbar, opened up my door, and stole the nicest things in my apartment."
Evolution doesn't care about your comfort; it cares about your survival. For 2.5 million years, our brains have perfected One-Trial Learning. If something is terrifying enough, you don't need a second lesson. Your hippocampus "tamps" that memory in, forever flagging that specific hallway or corner as a potential death trap.
Evolutionary Logic
Why do we remember trauma so vividly? Because the brain prioritizes the "Danger Map" over almost everything else. One trial. One memory. Lifetime alertness.
From Workaholic to "Gym Rat":
A Neuroscientist’s Epiphany
The tenure track at NYU is a six-year pressure cooker. The strategy? "I’m just going to not do anything but work." The result? 25 pounds gained, chronic stress, and a soul-crushing realization on a river-rafting trip in Peru: I was the weakest person there.
"I’m sitting in my office writing an NIH grant... and this thought goes through my mind: 'Grant writing went well today. That felt good.'"
That "Spidey-sense" for neuroscientists started tingling. The grant writing wasn't just better that day—it was getting smoother. Focus was deeper. The ability to weave together 30 different articles—the core of hippocampal memory—had sharpened. The only variable changed? The gym.
The Neurochemical Cocktail
What actually happens when you move?
BDNF
Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor. The fertilizer for your hippocampus. It helps brand new brain cells grow from scratch.
The Mood Boost
Dopamine, Serotonin, and Noradrenaline. The immediate 'feel-good' surge following cardiovascular effort.
"The Brain Bubble Bath"
"Every single time you move your body, it’s like giving your brain this wonderful bubble bath of neurochemicals. I’m growing a big, fat, fluffy hippocampus."
Hippocampal Resilience Impact
Note: Visual representation of "The Fluffy Hippocampus" effect. Exercise builds a cognitive reserve that delays the symptoms of dementia.
30–45 Minutes
- ▶ Cardiovascular is king for the prefrontal cortex.
- ▶ Video workouts (Variety keeps it fresh).
- ▶ Kickboxing & Weights.
- ▶ 10-15 minute stretch "bookends".
"I don’t have to get all dressed up to go to the gym... it’s always there."
To go into my 70s with a reserve so deep that even genetic predispositions take longer to kick in. This is about buying time.
Foundational Fuel
"The reason I started taking AG1 way back in 2012... is because it is the highest quality and most comprehensive foundational nutritional supplement on the market."
The Gut Connection
Trillions of microorganisms impact your immune status, metabolic health, and hormone balance. AG1 uses probiotics and prebiotics to keep the "engine" humming.
New: AGZ Sleep Formula
"It eliminates the need for all these pills and my sleep has never been better."
The 10-Minute Entry Point
"I don't want people to say, 'Oh God, I hate sweating.' So I always start with this: just ten minutes of walking outside can shift your mood. That is your neurochemical bubble bath."
The BDNF Pathways
How does moving your legs actually change your brain? It’s not magic; it’s a biological handshake between your periphery and your central nervous system.
The Muscle Myokine
Striated muscles release a protein that crosses the blood-brain barrier, directly stimulating the hippocampus.
The Liver Ketone
Under the "stress" of exercise, the liver releases beta-hydroxybutyrate, which acts as a secondary stimulant for BDNF.
Stimulation Source by Tissue Type
The Neurogenesis Debate
Reference: Work of Rusty Gage (Salk Institute) + recent longitudinal studies confirming neurogenesis across the lifespan.
The "Bubble Bath" Effect
What a single 30-minute session actually does to your gray matter.
01. Mood
A consistent, reproducible boost. But it's not just "happiness"—it’s a clinical drop in hostility. Making the world better, one treadmill session at a time.
02. Prefrontal Focus
Improved "Stroop" performance. Your brain gets better at shifting attention and ignoring the noise. Pure cognitive grit.
03. Reaction Time
The cognitive-motor bridge shrinks. You aren't just thinking faster; you are responding faster.
The Hostility Drop (Ages 20-90)
"The best time to exercise is right before you need to use your brain in the most important way."
Longitudinal Insight: Swedish Study (1960-2018)
The amount of extra cognitive health high-fitness women gained compared to their low-fitness peers over four decades.
"They were giving their brains this bubble bath very, very regularly for forty years. And that built up their big, fat, beautiful hippocampi."
The "Scrabble" Control
The M.V.P.
(Minimum Viable Protocol)
Frequency
2 to 3 times per week.
Duration
45 Minutes total (including 5 min warm-up/cool-down).
Intensity
Spin class or equivalent cardio. "You have to be really pushing it."
The Payoff:
Improved performance on "Doom-like" spatial maze games—a classic marker of hippocampal health. You aren't just getting fit; you're upgrading your internal GPS.
The Thermal Logic of Sleep
To fall asleep, your core temperature must drop by 1-3 degrees. To wake up, it must rise by the same.
The Pod 5
Huberman's choice for five years. Now featuring Autopilot AI to adjust temperature across sleep stages.
Active Response
The system detects snoring and automatically elevates your head to clear airways.
"Every Drop of Sweat Counted"
The Mid-Fit Study: Moving from 2x to 7x a week.
We didn't just want to look at the "low-fit" population. We wanted to know about the regulars—the people hitting the spin studio two or three times a week. Is there a ceiling to the cognitive benefits of exercise? Or does the brain keep rewarding you as you push further?
We collaborated with a local spin studio, tracking a "mid-fit" group over three months. Some stayed at their baseline; others ramped it up to seven days a week. The results were linear and undeniable.
Correlation of Workout Frequency to Affective Improvement & Memory Retention
The Concept
IntenSati: Physical Declaration
"I am strong now. I am inspired. I believe I will succeed."
What is the value of affirmation? Of telling yourself something positive while you move?
It's about the declaration using your own voice. You realize, "Oh my God, I’m so mean to myself." We use kickbox, dance, and yoga moves. Every punch is associated with a word.
A kinetic association of strength and language.
The 12-Minute Threshold
The Practice: A simple body scan. No fancy mantras, no 60-minute retreats. Just 12 minutes of guided focus.
The Defense: Meditators showed a significantly lower stress response during the Stryer Stress Test. Unexpected chaos didn't break them.
The Reward: Breaking the cycle of "fearful future thinking" or "terrible past reliving" by anchoring into the present.
Why it works:
"It's the habit building... focusing on the present moment. That is very hard for us modern humans to do. It gives you a powerful tool for the rest of your day."
The Holy Trinity of Human Focus
"What can people do—right this minute—to up their capacity to attend where they want?"
Exercise
It isn't just about the body. It has a direct effect on the functioning of your prefrontal cortex. Move to focus.
Meditation
Clear clinical studies show an improved ability to focus, specifically on the present moment. It’s the gym for your attention span.
Sleep
The non-negotiable foundation. Without it, creativity and basic brain function crumble. It is the engine of retention.
Cognitive Performance Uplift
Meditation, Exercise, and Sleep are the prerequisite for high-level neural performance.
"These three things help you learn, retain, and perform better than if you do not have them in your life."
— Wendy Suzuki, Ph.D.
Andrew
Wendy, thank you so much for your leadership in the university system, for your leadership in public education, and for the decades of important work on memory and neural circuitry.
Wendy
Thank you, Andrew. Fun conversation.
