How to Improve Motivation & Overcome Procrastination | Dr. Masud Husain
Dr. Masud Husain is a Professor of Neurology & Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Oxford and a leading expert on the science of motivation, apathy, and neurological diseases. We discuss how dopamine and specific brain circuits shape motivation, including how the brain weighs the trade-off between effort and reward when deciding what goals to pursue. Dr. Husain also explains practical tools to increase motivation, reduce distractions, and make it easier to start and maintain goal pursuit. We also discuss dementia, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s disease, including new insights into cognitive resilience and factors that help protect against age-related cognitive decline.
Articles
- Dopamine reverses reward insensitivity in apathy following globus pallidus lesions (Cortex)
- Distinct Subtypes of Apathy Revealed by the Apathy Motivation Index (PLOS ONE)
- Individual Differences in Premotor Brain Systems Underlie Behavioral Apathy (Cerebral Cortex)
- Distinct effects of apathy and dopamine on effort-based decision-making in Parkinson's disease (Brain)
- Reward sensitivity deficits modulated by dopamine are associated with apathy in Parkinson's disease (Brain)
- Reward Pays the Cost of Noise Reduction in Motor and Cognitive Control (Current Biology)
- Inverted-U-shaped dopamine actions on human working memory and cognitive control (Biological Psychiatry)
- The breakdown of vigilance during prolonged visual search (The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology)
- Association of Apathy With Risk of Incident Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (JAMA Psychiatry)
Books
- Our Brains, Our Selves: What a Neurologist's Patients Taught Him About the Brain by Masud Husain
- Awakenings by Oliver Sacks
- The Society of Mind by Marvin Minsky
- Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It by Ethan Kross
Other Resources
Huberman Lab Episodes Mentioned
- Dr. Ethan Kross: How to Control Your Inner Voice & Increase Your Resilience
- Dr. Karl Deisseroth: Understanding & Healing the Mind
- Improve Focus with Behavioral Tools & Medication for ADHD | Dr. John Kruse
- Master Self Control & Overcome Procrastination | Dr. Kentaro Fujita
People Mentioned
- Oliver Sacks: neurologist, author
- Kent Berridge: Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Michigan
- Patricia Goldman-Rakic: neuroscientist
- Marvin Minsky: mathematician, computer scientist
- Ken Rideout: endurance athlete, working memory researcher
- Carly Simon: singer-songwriter
About this Guest
Dr. Masud Husain
Masud Husain, FRS, FRCP, FMedSci, is a Professor of Neurology & Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Oxford and a leading expert on motivation, apathy, and neurological disease.
This transcript is currently under human review and may contain errors. The fully reviewed version will be posted as soon as it is available.
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