Essentials: Compulsive Behaviors & Deep Brain Stimulation | Dr. Casey Halpern cover art
← Huberman Lab

Essentials: Compulsive Behaviors & Deep Brain Stimulation | Dr. Casey Halpern

May 7, 2026 · 38 min

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. Read the episode show notes at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman Function: https://functionhealth.com/huberman Rorra: https://rorra.com.huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Casey Halpern (00:00:20) Neurosurgery, Deep Brain Stimulation (00:04:19) Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) & Treatments (00:10:11) Sponsor: Function (00:11:49) OCD Brain Areas, Addiction (00:14:12) Nucleus Accumbens, Risk & Rewards; Binge Eating Disorder (00:18:28) Sponsor: AG1 (00:19:46) Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (00:27:31) Sponsor: Rorra (00:28:46) Awareness of Cravings, Severe Binge Eating Disorder (00:32:51) Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning & Predicting Impulsive Behavior (00:36:57) Acknowledgements Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
0 Recall Sets0 enrichment items0 recommended
Sign in to favorite

Listen — make it stick

0:00 / 38:06
Speed 1×⤢ Companion mode
React at the exact second

Moments

Sign in to comment on this exact moment.

Sign in to join

Loading the timeline…

Recall — what you keep

Recall Sets

+ Author a Recall Set

No Recall Sets here yet — be the first to anchor this episode's sharpest moments.

Enrich — the context around it

Enrichment

No enrichment published yet — links, notes, and corrections are still being prepared (and pass human review before they land here). Add the first yourself.

Sign in to add a link, note, or media →
Discuss — members in the know

Episode discussion

Members in the know

Opening the room…