In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, my guest is Dr. Eddie Chang, MD, a neurosurgeon and Chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). We discuss the neural circuits underlying speech and language, including how the brain controls the larynx, vocal folds and articulators to shape breath into words. We also explore his pioneering work on speech neural prosthetics — brain-machine interfaces that allow paralyzed patients to communicate by decoding neural activity into speech and avatar-driven facial expressions. Additionally, we examine the neurobiology of stuttering, the role of auditory feedback in fluent speech, and the broader ethical questions surrounding brain augmentation technologies. Read the episode show notes at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/huberman Function: https://functionhealth.com/huberman Timestamps

Speech & Language

Speech vs Language, Pragmatics, Semantics & Syntax

Larynx, Vocal Folds & Shaping the Breath

Crying & Laughter, Vocalizations vs Speech

Sponsor: Function

Paralysis, Brainstem Stroke, ALS & Locked-In Syndrome

BRAVO Trial, Pancho & First Patient

Brain Surgery, Electrode Array & Decoding Speech

AI, 50-Word Vocabulary & Autocorrect

Sponsor: BetterHelp

Neuralink, Brain-Machine Interfaces & Augmentation Ethics

Avatars, Facial Expressions & Non-Verbal Communication

Sponsor: AG1

Stuttering, Anxiety & Speech vs Language

Tool: Stuttering Therapy & Auditory Feedback