WEBVTT

NOTE duration: "00:04:14.336"


NOTE Confidence: 0.9951172

00:00:06.000 --> 00:00:08.500
The prefrontal cortex is remarkable.

NOTE Confidence: 0.99930245

00:00:09.200 --> 00:00:10.160
It is one of the

NOTE Confidence: 0.99930245

00:00:10.160 --> 00:00:10.980
most recently

NOTE Confidence: 0.98157847

00:00:11.440 --> 00:00:12.880
evolved parts of our brain,

NOTE Confidence: 0.98157847

00:00:12.880 --> 00:00:14.240
and it's right behind our

NOTE Confidence: 0.98157847

00:00:14.240 --> 00:00:14.740
forehead.

NOTE Confidence: 0.9994141

00:00:15.575 --> 00:00:18.235
It has this incredible ability

NOTE Confidence: 1

00:00:18.855 --> 00:00:19.675
to represent

NOTE Confidence: 1

00:00:20.055 --> 00:00:20.555
information

NOTE Confidence: 0.97943115

00:00:20.935 --> 00:00:22.875
that's not actually happening,

NOTE Confidence: 0.99472654

00:00:23.575 --> 00:00:24.935
allowing us to think about

NOTE Confidence: 0.99472654

00:00:24.935 --> 00:00:27.435
things that aren't actually happening.

NOTE Confidence: 0.9976562

00:00:27.975 --> 00:00:29.275
And this is the foundation

NOTE Confidence: 0.99869794

00:00:29.654 --> 00:00:30.900
of abstract thought.

NOTE Confidence: 0.98291016

00:00:33.059 --> 00:00:35.239
This cortex is remarkably

NOTE Confidence: 0.98097736

00:00:35.620 --> 00:00:37.860
vulnerable, and we've been learning

NOTE Confidence: 0.98097736

00:00:37.860 --> 00:00:39.460
that it actually has built

NOTE Confidence: 0.98097736

00:00:39.460 --> 00:00:40.360
in mechanisms

NOTE Confidence: 0.9418701

00:00:41.059 --> 00:00:42.579
to take it offline, for

NOTE Confidence: 0.9418701

00:00:42.579 --> 00:00:44.280
example, with stress or inflammation,

NOTE Confidence: 0.89334106

00:00:45.155 --> 00:00:46.755
which is probably why it

NOTE Confidence: 0.89334106

00:00:46.755 --> 00:00:48.215
dysfunction so readily.

NOTE Confidence: 0.98130965

00:00:48.675 --> 00:00:50.615
So we see prefrontal deficits

NOTE Confidence: 0.98130965

00:00:50.755 --> 00:00:52.935
in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's

NOTE Confidence: 0.98706055

00:00:53.555 --> 00:00:54.055
disease,

NOTE Confidence: 0.9800212

00:00:54.435 --> 00:00:55.655
something called frontotemporal

NOTE Confidence: 0.9763997

00:00:56.115 --> 00:00:57.575
dementia that particularly

NOTE Confidence: 0.95304364

00:00:57.955 --> 00:00:59.815
targets prefrontal cortex.

NOTE Confidence: 0.93277997

00:01:00.510 --> 00:01:02.510
Also in disorders that affect

NOTE Confidence: 0.93277997

00:01:02.510 --> 00:01:04.130
younger people like schizophrenia

NOTE Confidence: 0.93424475

00:01:05.069 --> 00:01:05.970
and neurodevelopmental

NOTE Confidence: 0.9897461

00:01:06.830 --> 00:01:08.209
disorders like ADHD

NOTE Confidence: 0.99157715

00:01:08.750 --> 00:01:09.650
and autism.

NOTE Confidence: 0.9926758

00:01:10.110 --> 00:01:12.190
So figuring out why these

NOTE Confidence: 0.9926758

00:01:12.190 --> 00:01:14.190
circuits are so vulnerable is

NOTE Confidence: 0.9926758

00:01:14.190 --> 00:01:15.250
key to

NOTE Confidence: 0.95170087

00:01:15.915 --> 00:01:17.835
understanding the ideology of these

NOTE Confidence: 0.95170087

00:01:17.835 --> 00:01:19.435
disorders and coming up with

NOTE Confidence: 0.95170087

00:01:19.435 --> 00:01:20.575
rational treatments.

NOTE Confidence: 0.9656779

00:01:24.875 --> 00:01:26.395
We have been studying for

NOTE Confidence: 0.9656779

00:01:26.395 --> 00:01:28.875
years what makes prefrontal neurons

NOTE Confidence: 0.9656779

00:01:28.875 --> 00:01:29.694
so vulnerable.

NOTE Confidence: 0.95887977

00:01:30.315 --> 00:01:31.470
And what we found, it's

NOTE Confidence: 0.95887977

00:01:31.630 --> 00:01:32.450
very Shakespearean.

NOTE Confidence: 0.9984131

00:01:33.390 --> 00:01:35.550
The very things these neurons

NOTE Confidence: 0.9984131

00:01:35.550 --> 00:01:36.850
need to create

NOTE Confidence: 0.8440755

00:01:37.310 --> 00:01:38.930
higher cognitive operations,

NOTE Confidence: 0.9859212

00:01:39.630 --> 00:01:40.990
such as high levels of

NOTE Confidence: 0.9859212

00:01:40.990 --> 00:01:41.490
calcium,

NOTE Confidence: 0.9996338

00:01:42.190 --> 00:01:43.550
are the very things that

NOTE Confidence: 0.9996338

00:01:43.550 --> 00:01:44.610
make them vulnerable

NOTE Confidence: 0.9981445

00:01:45.505 --> 00:01:47.525
when they're not tightly regulated.

NOTE Confidence: 0.91467285

00:01:47.905 --> 00:01:49.505
So for example, stress and

NOTE Confidence: 0.91467285

00:01:49.505 --> 00:01:50.005
inflammation

NOTE Confidence: 0.9955241

00:01:50.865 --> 00:01:52.245
erode this regulation

NOTE Confidence: 0.97766113

00:01:52.625 --> 00:01:54.085
and leave us particularly

NOTE Confidence: 0.9955241

00:01:54.465 --> 00:01:56.805
vulnerable to atrophy of prefrontal

NOTE Confidence: 0.9955241

00:01:57.025 --> 00:01:57.525
neurons.

NOTE Confidence: 0.97199357

00:01:58.090 --> 00:01:59.690
So we have been studying

NOTE Confidence: 0.97199357

00:01:59.690 --> 00:02:01.310
this now for many years

NOTE Confidence: 0.97199357

00:02:01.530 --> 00:02:03.310
and use this as

NOTE Confidence: 0.9382324

00:02:03.770 --> 00:02:04.510
a guidepost

NOTE Confidence: 0.99560547

00:02:04.890 --> 00:02:07.690
for creating rational treatments to

NOTE Confidence: 0.99560547

00:02:07.690 --> 00:02:09.310
protect prefrontal function.

NOTE Confidence: 0.9782715

00:02:12.955 --> 00:02:14.735
We use a spectrum

NOTE Confidence: 0.99558514

00:02:15.035 --> 00:02:16.794
of techniques that go from

NOTE Confidence: 0.99558514

00:02:16.794 --> 00:02:18.395
the molecule all the way

NOTE Confidence: 0.99558514

00:02:18.395 --> 00:02:19.294
to behavior.

NOTE Confidence: 0.94783527

00:02:20.155 --> 00:02:22.075
So for example, one technique

NOTE Confidence: 0.94783527

00:02:22.075 --> 00:02:23.375
we use that's remarkable

NOTE Confidence: 0.97074383

00:02:23.835 --> 00:02:26.095
is something called immuno electron

NOTE Confidence: 0.97074383

00:02:26.315 --> 00:02:26.815
microscopy

NOTE Confidence: 0.9916295

00:02:27.840 --> 00:02:29.460
that lets us see molecules

NOTE Confidence: 0.9916295

00:02:29.600 --> 00:02:30.580
with nanometer

NOTE Confidence: 0.9570855

00:02:31.040 --> 00:02:32.480
resolution, so we can see

NOTE Confidence: 0.9570855

00:02:32.480 --> 00:02:34.100
where they are exactly

NOTE Confidence: 0.99858946

00:02:34.560 --> 00:02:35.540
in the synapse.

NOTE Confidence: 0.9841883

00:02:36.240 --> 00:02:38.320
It's very beautiful, very moving,

NOTE Confidence: 0.9841883

00:02:38.320 --> 00:02:39.440
and we get to see

NOTE Confidence: 0.9841883

00:02:39.440 --> 00:02:41.680
how mother nature has designed

NOTE Confidence: 0.9841883

00:02:41.680 --> 00:02:42.465
these things

NOTE Confidence: 0.9484253

00:02:46.144 --> 00:02:48.004
herself. We've already succeeded

NOTE Confidence: 0.97835284

00:02:48.544 --> 00:02:50.165
with several treatment

NOTE Confidence: 0.93359375

00:02:50.544 --> 00:02:52.245
translated to human use,

NOTE Confidence: 0.93304443

00:02:52.625 --> 00:02:53.745
but we're now at a

NOTE Confidence: 0.93304443

00:02:53.745 --> 00:02:54.885
point where there's

NOTE Confidence: 0.9576009

00:02:55.409 --> 00:02:57.569
other potential treatments that I'm

NOTE Confidence: 0.9576009

00:02:57.569 --> 00:02:58.069
particularly

NOTE Confidence: 0.9909668

00:02:58.609 --> 00:02:59.590
excited about.

NOTE Confidence: 0.9893329

00:02:59.969 --> 00:03:01.989
For example, we've been learning

NOTE Confidence: 0.9893329

00:03:02.049 --> 00:03:03.969
why prefrontal neurons are so

NOTE Confidence: 0.9893329

00:03:03.969 --> 00:03:05.269
vulnerable with age

NOTE Confidence: 0.94949776

00:03:05.730 --> 00:03:07.090
and how to protect them

NOTE Confidence: 0.94949776

00:03:07.090 --> 00:03:07.909
from Alzheimer's

NOTE Confidence: 0.9916992

00:03:08.405 --> 00:03:08.905
pathology.

NOTE Confidence: 0.95576173

00:03:09.444 --> 00:03:10.885
So for example, right now

NOTE Confidence: 0.95576173

00:03:10.885 --> 00:03:12.325
we're looking for funding to

NOTE Confidence: 0.95576173

00:03:12.325 --> 00:03:14.665
test a really promising treatment

NOTE Confidence: 0.99780273

00:03:14.965 --> 00:03:16.584
that might actually prevent

NOTE Confidence: 0.99560547

00:03:16.965 --> 00:03:17.465
Alzheimer's

NOTE Confidence: 0.9951172

00:03:17.764 --> 00:03:18.264
disease.

NOTE Confidence: 0.8808594

00:03:18.885 --> 00:03:19.625
We're also,

NOTE Confidence: 0.9970703

00:03:20.530 --> 00:03:21.030
exploring

NOTE Confidence: 0.99902344

00:03:21.330 --> 00:03:23.590
new stress related pathways

NOTE Confidence: 0.98742676

00:03:24.049 --> 00:03:25.750
and ways to protect

NOTE Confidence: 0.9560547

00:03:26.209 --> 00:03:28.150
the brain and especially prefrontal

NOTE Confidence: 0.9560547

00:03:28.290 --> 00:03:29.349
cortex from

NOTE Confidence: 0.9423828

00:03:29.650 --> 00:03:30.629
stress exposure,

NOTE Confidence: 0.96777344

00:03:31.250 --> 00:03:32.129
which may be,

NOTE Confidence: 0.9970006

00:03:32.530 --> 00:03:34.209
very useful in treating things

NOTE Confidence: 0.9970006

00:03:34.209 --> 00:03:35.030
like PTSD.

NOTE Confidence: 0.99609375

00:03:36.615 --> 00:03:37.515
By understanding

NOTE Confidence: 0.97546387

00:03:37.895 --> 00:03:38.715
the mechanism,

NOTE Confidence: 0.99375

00:03:39.095 --> 00:03:40.635
we hope we can intervene

NOTE Confidence: 0.99261475

00:03:41.415 --> 00:03:43.095
and correct the things that

NOTE Confidence: 0.99261475

00:03:43.095 --> 00:03:44.555
are actively weakening

NOTE Confidence: 0.9477539

00:03:45.095 --> 00:03:45.915
these circuits.

NOTE Confidence: 0.9729614

00:03:46.615 --> 00:03:47.970
What makes it so tricky

NOTE Confidence: 0.9729614

00:03:48.370 --> 00:03:50.470
is these recently evolved neurons

NOTE Confidence: 0.9729614

00:03:50.690 --> 00:03:52.950
are totally different from classic

NOTE Confidence: 0.9729614

00:03:53.010 --> 00:03:53.510
neurons.

NOTE Confidence: 0.9726679

00:03:54.050 --> 00:03:55.330
Many of their needs are

NOTE Confidence: 0.9726679

00:03:55.330 --> 00:03:57.490
even opposite to those in,

NOTE Confidence: 0.9726679

00:03:57.490 --> 00:03:59.110
like, our sensory cortices.

NOTE Confidence: 0.95529515

00:03:59.970 --> 00:04:01.730
And so you need to

NOTE Confidence: 0.95529515

00:04:01.730 --> 00:04:03.830
respect these very unique

NOTE Confidence: 0.9995117

00:04:04.265 --> 00:04:06.125
mechanisms to have a rational

NOTE Confidence: 0.9995117

00:04:06.265 --> 00:04:06.765
strategy

NOTE Confidence: 0.99934894

00:04:07.305 --> 00:04:08.745
of how to protect these

NOTE Confidence: 0.99934894

00:04:08.745 --> 00:04:09.245
neurons.