Biohacking Your Brain's Health

Biohacking Your Brain's Health

Instructor: Karima Benameur, MD

113,642 already enrolled

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4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

1,445 reviews

Beginner level

No prior experience required

Flexible schedule

1 week at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

98%

Most learners liked this course

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

1,445 reviews

Beginner level

No prior experience required

Flexible schedule

1 week at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

98%

Most learners liked this course

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

8 assignments

Taught in English

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There are 4 modules in this course

With deteriorating health, particularly brain health, occurring at a global level, this course introduces you to methods for maximizing your brain's fitness through nutrition, exercise, meditation, and sleep. We'll debunk popular myths about prescribed practices for overall health and then uncover studies from the last few decades revealing practical routines and interventions that are proven to help improve the brain. You'll also get a glimpse at the brain's structure and common brain functions, as well as a "prescription" each week of tips for improving your brain's health.

In this first week, you'll get a simple primer on the brain before diving into the history of nutrition and landmark studies on certain diets that can improve brain health.

What's included

13 videos5 readings2 assignments

13 videosTotal 50 minutes

Course Introduction2 minutes
Structural Anatomy of Our Brains4 minutes
Functional Anatomy of Our Brains8 minutes
Neurological Diseases & Nutritional Health4 minutes
The History of Nutritional Research, 1950s-1980s5 minutes
The History of Nutritional Research, 1980s-Present5 minutes
What Happens When We Eat6 minutes
Insulin Resistance & Effects on the Brain3 minutes
The Myth About Supplements2 minutes
The Mediterranean Diet4 minutes
The Ketogenic Diet3 minutes
Intermittent Fasting4 minutes
Your "Prescription"1 minute

5 readingsTotal 99 minutes

Course Outline and Grading Information2 minutes
Brain Structure & Brain Activity [Handout]2 minutes
Nutritional Research & Global Health45 minutes
Insulin Resistance20 minutes
Diet Resources30 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 60 minutes

Week 130 minutes
Practice30 minutes

During our second week, we'll uncover what exercise does to the brain (including physical and mental exercises) and look at human and animal research that provides us with these insights.

What's included

7 videos2 readings2 assignments

7 videosTotal 40 minutes

The Physiology of Exercise6 minutes
Animal Studies4 minutes
Healthy Brains7 minutes
Impaired Brains4 minutes
Cognitive Training5 minutes
[OPTIONAL] Interview with Dr. Lydia Fazzio13 minutes
Your "Prescription"1 minute

2 readingsTotal 85 minutes

Physical Inactivity, Mice, BDNF25 minutes
Physical & Cognitive Exercise60 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 60 minutes

Week 230 minutes
Practice30 minutes

For our third week, we'll uncover the neuroscience behind meditation and mindfulness and recognize the effects of meditation on brain activity and brain structure.

What's included

8 videos3 readings2 assignments

8 videosTotal 64 minutes

Meditation & Mindfulness4 minutes
The Scientific Study of Meditation4 minutes
Meditation & Brain Structure3 minutes
Meditation & Brain Activity5 minutes
Meditation, Emotions, & the Immune System2 minutes
The Benefits of Meditation4 minutes
[OPTIONAL] Interview with Dr. Geshe Lobsang Tenzin Negi41 minutes
Your "Prescription"1 minute

3 readingsTotal 122 minutes

What Is Mindfulness?2 minutes
Meditation's Effects60 minutes
Meditation Resources60 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 60 minutes

Week 330 minutes
Practice30 minutes

In this final week, we'll look at how sleep works as an active process in the brain, assess the effects of sleep deprivation, and consider helpful practices for improved sleep and brain health.

What's included

6 videos3 readings2 assignments

6 videosTotal 26 minutes

Normal Sleep Physiology4 minutes
The Biology of Waking and Sleeping4 minutes
What Happens During Sleep?4 minutes
Chronic Diseases5 minutes
Reviewing The Data5 minutes
Your "Prescription"4 minutes

3 readingsTotal 85 minutes

Functions of Sleep30 minutes
Sleep Questionnaires15 minutes
Sleep Disorders and Healthy Sleep40 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 60 minutes

Week 430 minutes
Practice30 minutes

Instructor

Instructor ratings

(460 ratings)

Karima Benameur, MD

Emory University

1 Course113,642 learners

Offered by

Emory University

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Reviewed on Aug 19, 2021

This course gave me a lot of insights on how diet, exercise, meditation and sleep can greatly affect a human brain based on different cited studies. It's truly a life-changing course.

Reviewed on Jun 20, 2023

An incredible course, that deepened my understanding of the brain, and the many ways to keep it functioning well. As an added bonus, I’m sleeping better because of the skills I learned in it, too.

Reviewed on Nov 13, 2020

Very enlightening and well done. I am a physician and this course brought back a lot of memories from medical school. Thank you for putting this course together and sharing it with the world.

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