Essentials: The Science of Learning & Speaking Languages | Dr. Eddie Chang

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. Show notes: https://go.hubermanlab.com/b0qQsyP Watch more Huberman Lab Essentials: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPNW_gerXa4OGNy1yE-W9IX-tPu-tJa7S&si=a1_sA7rUT-fE0OM5 Follow Huberman Lab Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab Threads: https://www.threads.net/@hubermanlab X: https://x.com/hubermanlab Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hubermanlab LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-huberman Website: https://www.hubermanlab.com Newsletter: https://www.hubermanlab.com/newsletter Dr. Eddie Chang Lab: https://changlab.ucsf.edu UCSF academic profile: https://profiles.ucsf.edu/edward.chang UCSF clinical profile: https://www.ucsfhealth.org/providers/dr-edward-chang LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-chang-384746132 Timestamps 00:00:00 Speech & Language 00:00:23 Speech vs Language, Pragmatics, Semantics & Syntax 00:03:11 Larynx, Vocal Folds & Shaping the Breath 00:05:35 Crying & Laughter, Vocalizations vs Speech 00:06:37 Paralysis, Brainstem Stroke, ALS & Locked-In Syndrome 00:09:14 BRAVO Trial, Pancho & First Patient 00:11:07 Brain Surgery, Electrode Array & Decoding Speech 00:12:53 AI, 50-Word Vocabulary & Autocorrect 00:14:27 Neuralink, Brain-Machine Interfaces & Augmentation Ethics 00:19:23 Avatars, Facial Expressions & Non-Verbal Communication 00:22:50 Stuttering, Anxiety & Speech vs Language 00:26:02 Tool: Stuttering Therapy & Auditory Feedback 00:27:34 Recap & Acknowledgments #hubermanlab #health #science Disclaimer & Disclosures: https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer

Andrew HubermanhostDr. Eddie Changguest

May 21, 202628mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: May 21, 2026
Duration: 28m
Channel: Huberman Lab
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

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. Show notes: https://go.hubermanlab.com/b0qQsyP Watch more Huberman Lab Essentials: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPNW_gerXa4OGNy1yE-W9IX-tPu-tJa7S&si=a1_sA7rUT-fE0OM5 Follow Huberman Lab Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab Threads: https://www.threads.net/@hubermanlab X: https://x.com/hubermanlab Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hubermanlab LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-huberman Website: https://www.hubermanlab.com Newsletter: https://www.hubermanlab.com/newsletter Dr. Eddie Chang Lab: https://changlab.ucsf.edu UCSF academic profile: https://profiles.ucsf.edu/edward.chang UCSF clinical profile: https://www.ucsfhealth.org/providers/dr-edward-chang LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-chang-384746132 Timestamps 00:00:00 Speech & Language 00:00:23 Speech vs Language, Pragmatics, Semantics & Syntax 00:03:11 Larynx, Vocal Folds & Shaping the Breath 00:05:35 Crying & Laughter, Vocalizations vs Speech 00:06:37 Paralysis, Brainstem Stroke, ALS & Locked-In Syndrome 00:09:14 BRAVO Trial, Pancho & First Patient 00:11:07 Brain Surgery, Electrode Array & Decoding Speech 00:12:53 AI, 50-Word Vocabulary & Autocorrect 00:14:27 Neuralink, Brain-Machine Interfaces & Augmentation Ethics 00:19:23 Avatars, Facial Expressions & Non-Verbal Communication 00:22:50 Stuttering, Anxiety & Speech vs Language 00:26:02 Tool: Stuttering Therapy & Auditory Feedback 00:27:34 Recap & Acknowledgments #hubermanlab #health #science Disclaimer & Disclosures: https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer

SPEAKERS

Andrew Huberman
host
Professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine and host of the Huberman Lab podcast.
Dr. Eddie Chang
guest
Neurosurgeon and neuroscientist specializing in the brain mechanisms of speech/language and brain-computer interfaces for communication.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Huberman Lab, featuring Andrew Huberman and Dr. Eddie Chang, Essentials: The Science of Learning & Speaking Languages | Dr. Eddie Chang explores how brain circuits create speech, and restore it with BCIs Speech is the motor act of shaping breath into sound, while language includes broader processes like meaning (semantics), intent (pragmatics), and grammar (syntax) across multiple modalities (speech, sign, reading).

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