Your Brain on GLP-1s The Mind-Blowing Benefits You Didnt Know About

0:09 Hey everybody. This is Hunter Williams. I hope you were doing amazing wherever you are at in the world. Today's video is called your brain on a GLP one. So kind of like that old commercial, this is your rain on drugs today is going to be, This Is Your Brain On A GLB one so I'm actually really, really excited to do this video. It's been something I've been thinking about for a long time and um, I guess there's a lot of anecdotal evidence slash clinical data to kind really back up what's going on here and uh, Also I've seen this just in my own personal life and thousands of people I have coached.

0:40 So, um, what I'm going to walk us through today is exactly what is going on in your brain when you are using a GLP one. Hopefully it's right at true tide, but maybe it was appetite or some glue tied, whatever it is. Um, today we're going really examine what's going in the brain. And the reason I am doing this is because every time, now for a few years that I've been using a GOP-1 because I cycle on and cycle off of them. And obviously I'm using them more for the longevity and performance and anti-aging benefits, not so much for fat loss, even though that's a nice added benefit.

1:14 What I notice is that, I just seem so more cognitively focused, creative. and in a better mood. And it's not that I'm not those things when I am not using a GLP-1, but I think the effects are lasting too. So, meaning that like even when i'm cycling off of them, the improvement in all those thing lasts well beyond me not being using it or when cycling it off. But there definitely is a cognitive enhancement aspect that comes through it. As of this video, it was January 2025, and I just started taking a very small dose of Retatrutide, about nine days ago.

1:49 And so I'm only doing like 750 micrograms per week. So somewhere between 750 to a thousand micro grams, which is really, really low. Again, that's like kind of the micro dosing strategy that we're doing, but I already notice in my work and in just my life in general, uh, I just seem to be like more resilient from stress and a better mood and more cognitively focused. What I want to do is show exactly what's going on in the brain to create that state of my mind. Um, so before I jump into that, check out the peptide cheat sheet.

2:19 You can download that in the link of the description of all the videos. Uh, it's got all of protocols that I would recommend for using a GLP one and then also to, um, checkout fully optimized health. That's our, uh, private community. It's $99 a month. Can cancel anytime, but. There is over 500 people in there. It's amazing. We have some of the best advanced biohackers in their sharing their use case stories and experience with peptides and all the good stuff, hormones and stuff. So without further ado, I'm going to share my screen and today we're going learn about your brain on a GLP-1 peptide.

2:51 All right. I am Hunter Williams and this is your Brain on GLp-I. Let's dig into it. Just as an overall, you know, kind of summary introduction, um, I want to, they look at the neurological impact of GOP one peptides and their derivatives, uh, or their multi agonist cousins. So peptide like SEMA, TERS and RETTA have revolutionized metabolic health treatment. I don't think you can throw a rock now without hitting someone that's been using one of these peptids because of how profound in nature they are with helping

3:23 with weight loss, which is obviously the biggest issue with our society today in terms of health. So obviously we know the benefits for weight loss and glucose regulation. It's very well documented. Uh, the broader impacts on the brain, I think are actually like maybe even as important or just as import or even more important than, uh, some of the metabolic benefits. I'm going to explain why. So today we're going learn about why that is, what exactly happens when they're injected and how they interact with these neural pathways and what it means just for long-term brain health of our society in general.

3:53 So let's look at this. I actually wanted to like walk you through from the moment you inject the peptide. what is happening downstream from there. So when a GLP one is injected, it circulates to the bloodstream and it binds to receptors and various tissues in the body. While the primary target of the peptide is the pancreatic beta cells to enhance insulin secretion and the gut to slow gastric emptying. The peptides also do cross the Blood Brain Barrier, which is a critical gateway for their neurological effects.

4:24 in addition to working on cells in the body, crossing the blood-brain barrier to work on those. So what happens when the peptide is crossing blood brain barrier? So they reach to the brain by binding to transport systems that allow hormones or peptides hormones to bypass the Blood-Brain Barrier. And once inside, they interact with GLP-1 receptors in key regions like the hypothalamus, the hippocampus brain stem, and the prefrontal cortex. These areas obviously govern appetite regulation, They govern energy homeostasis in the body. Uh, but for the purpose of this video, cognition and mood.

4:58 And so once bound to these GLP one receptors in brain, the peptides activate intracellular signaling pathways that influence neurotransmitter release, neuronal survival and synaptic plasticity, which if you don't know what that means, basically means the ability, um, to form new synapses in. The brain probably heard of neuroplasticity. That means your ability to learn. to process new information, to integrate it into your mind, and then make decisions accordingly. So this activation drives the cascade of effects discussed below, which we're going to talk about.

5:30 First of those being appetite regulation in society. Just so you understand, the most immediate and noticeable effects of GOP-1 peptides is their ability to suppress appetite. Usually that's what happens. You inject it, within two to three days, you're like, wow, I'm not as hungry anymore. So in the hypothalamus, GLP1 receptors in arcuate nucleus modulate hunger signals by reducing the activity of orexigenic neurons, which promote hunger, and enhancing anorexogenic neurons which suppress hunger.

6:00 This dual effect results in reduced cravings, a decreased reward response to high-calorie or high probable foods, of which there are plenty, or almost exclusively in United States now, It also results in increased satiety, so enhanced feeling of fullness after meals, which even further contributes to the sustainable calorie reduction that people experience. So the appetite modeling effect is not just behavioral, it's rooted in a change that brains reward circuitry that's going on which recalibrates the dopamine response to people who are having a food.

6:30 And I've probably had a little bit of this, not nearly as some other people that you know, I love and I'm close with, but there is a strong emotional, dopaminergic response to food that we all have. And some people have a stronger than others. Some people, it's a lot harder for them to shut that off because of their emotional and dopamine response that they're getting the food. So let's look at this byproduct process of what's going on to the brain. It's coming out now that these are super neuroprotective.

7:01 No one really understands why. And that's why I'm making this video. So when the GLP-1 is binding to receptors in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, it's influencing these areas because they're critical for learning, memory, and decision making. What's going on there? It is enhancing glucose utilization by the cells and specifically the brain along with other cells in body. The brain requires a steady supply of glucose for energy. I am just going to pause there and explain to you that People that do keto or carnivore, those diets are not inherently bad. They're just a tool to achieve a certain outcome.

7:31 But your brain needs glucose. So I think I'm the opinion that if you're doing those diet for long term, eventually you gonna starve your brains for glucose? Yeah, sure. Can you survive? Absolutely. It's gonna be optimal now. The GLP-1 peptides improve glucose transport into neurons, ensuring optimal function. And this is particularly important in conditions like Alzheimer's disease where glucose metabolism is impaired because Alzheimer disease is basically like type three diabetes of the brain. And obviously glucose, metabolism, is paired in the cells in brain, and then we have neuro inflammation reduction.

8:04 So chronic neuroinflammation is a hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases and GLP-1 peptides reduce the production of pro inflammatory cytokines and promote an anti-inflammatory environment in which protects our neurons from damage, thus keeping us more cognitively active and resilient over time. And we also have synaptic plasticity. So GOP1 activation enhances the formation and strengthening of synapses, which are critical for learning and memory. I want to be very clear. If we improve insulin signaling, this is how powerful it is.

8:34 We improve the information and strengthening of Synapsis in our brain, So everyone always wants to, I have a contingent of my audience that are super learners. Like I fancy myself and they're always like, what are the new tropics? What are this? You know, like that can learn so I can perform better and all these scenarios. So many people don't understand how important glucose regulation is for this. And that's even if you're like a healthy weight, that it can still be improved. Oftentimes a lot of people because of a variety of factors that relate to hormonal function of the body.

9:08 But again, improved glucose regulation leads to better learning and memory, which these peptides are doing at a pretty staggering rate. Then we also have, again the prevention of neurodegenerative pathology. So preclinical studies have shown that GLP-1 agonists reduce amyloid beta and tau accumulation, the toxic proteins implicated in Alzheimer's disease. I'll also say this. For anyone that has played a contact sport and has had concussions or microconcussions, or lots of concussion, if you know anything about me and you follow me,

9:38 you'll know that I played linebacker at a division one football program, and I've played football for 16 years of my life. That was a pretty violent game, I had a lot of Concussions. None of them were diagnosed. When you're walking around with a headache, pretty much 90% of the year you are having concussions. And that's kind of what my life was for a while and I wouldn't trade it for anything. But what happens in people that have lots of concussion is over time, they have a buildup of these amyloid beta plaques and tau proteins in the brain,

10:08 which ends up causing the dementia and Alzheimer's. My grandmother actually passed away pretty recently from Alzheimer. So I've kind seen this up close and personal in my own life and it's really sad to see. more so than people realize these peptides are enhancing what's going on in the brain and the environment in GOP1 peptides play a pivotal role in mental health,

10:38 so their ability to cross the blood vein barrier and modulate neurotransmitter systems contributes to the improvements of mood and reductions in anxiety that we're seeing. It does this through a couple of ways. So it modulates serotonin. GOp1 influences seratonin pathways, which regulate mood, appetite, and sleep. And then it also modulates dopamine. So by recalibrating the brain's reward system, GOP1 peptides reduce the drive for addictive behaviors, including overeating, which obviously has more benefits than one. And we also have stress resilience, and this is kind of what I was referencing just in my own personal experience.

11:12 But some studies suggest that GOp1 activation enhances the brains ability to adapt to stress which not is only good for a whole number of things, but it also potentially lowers cortisol levels. So if we enhance the brain's ability to handle stress, it's going to lower our cortisol, which means we're going better able to burn fat, we're going to be happier in general. And all those biological systems, the body that don't do well under stress are going become more harmonious.

11:43 I guess is the best way to say it. Now, what I wanted to do here, because obviously I've been saying GOP1, right? And most people, when I think that they think of Wigobi or Ozempic, But I want to talk about turxapatite and maritrutite because these are so much more powerful than just the single agonism of the GLP-1 based on what they're doing with GIP and glucagon. And there's going to be more things to come. So this video is probably going date itself in the next six to 12 months. There's gonna be even better peptides that include the G.I.P. and the glucagon but are going have a number of things.

12:14 added onto them to even enhance what's going on. But TERS and RETA expand on GLP-1's effects by incorporating the GIP, which stands for glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide and glucagon. So these are going to amplify the neurological benefits of just a GLp- 1, Let's look at GIP. So specifically GEP is going to influence cognitive and reward system modulation. The GAP receptors in the hippocampus enhance glucose metabolism and neurons, improving memory and learning.

12:49 And then it also influences addiction and award regulation. the dopamine pathways, GIP reduces the reward response to food and other addictive substances. So we're kind of getting like a double whammy with the GLP-1 and the G.I.P. in terms of that mood regulation. And then we also have glucagon, which really comes in handy for this energy mobilization and stress adaptation. Glucagon supports mitochondrial function inside the cell and increases energy availability particularly during fasting or calorie restriction. And then glucagons activity in the brain may enhance the ability to cope with environmental and emotional structures.

13:23 So this is where we see more of that resilience to emotional stress and the abilities to kind of just like let things roll off your back and ultimately to the lowering of cortisol through the glucogon agonism going on. And so when we combine the GLP with the GIP, with a glucagon receptor activation that we see in Tertisan reddit, it creates a synergistic effect that amplifies neuroprotection, appetite regulation, and cognitive performance, all of which behoove us to do. So what I did in this next section, so hang with me, is I wanted to look at this in the form of mental health through our mood and how we feel,

13:59 and then also the brain health of the physical structure of our brain. So let's look mental first and see how important this is and kind of how are we breaking molds and crossing frontiers so we don't even really realize what's going on right now. One, let us look into depression and anxiety. I've personally dealt with these two emotions in my life. Luckily, not recently, it was when I was much younger and I just going through life trying to figure it out. And it's not fun for anyone.

14:31 Whether you're clinically depressed or anxious or you just are dealing with the stress of life, no one wants to be in those moods. The great thing is when we look at hormone optimization, we can actually heal the body to give ourselves a shot to not have these responses to the things that we should be able to respond to normally in most cases. So let's look at serotonin and dopamine modulation. GOP1 peptides influence serotin, seratonin dopamine pathways like we talked about. And this plays a very central role in mood regulation.

15:01 Look at SSRI prescriptions. I don't know how many millions of Americans are walking around right now, zombie out on an SSR. which is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. These peptides may reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. With seratonin, the GLP-1 activation can improve mood, reduce irritability, and enhance emotional stability. Then the dopamine, obviously that comes in with the reward system. It mitigates anhedonia, which the inability to feel pleasure, a key feature of the depression.

15:31 A lot of people experience this. depending on their drug use, pharmaceutical drugs or street drugs. But then we also have the cortisol reduction and stress resilience. This again comes to depression and anxiety a lot of times or inability to be resilient to the things that are going on in our life. To two different people, the same exact event could be like a catalyst for growth or something that crushes them. And looking at a GOP-1 peptide to come into health, it also blunts the stress response by reducing cortisol levels and improving the brain's adaptive capacity

16:03 to handle stressors. This can help prevent the development of stress-related disorders such as general anxiety disorder or even host traumatic stress disorder, otherwise known as PTSD. Um, so it's pretty powerful in that sense. Um. And then the next, the, next token, when we look beyond that, we have addiction and compulsive behaviors. So first we, have the requirements reward system, GOP1, GIP agonist directly impact our reward circuitry in the brain, particularly in nucleus accumbens

16:33 and the ventral tegmental area. This effect reduces the excessive dopamine spikes that drive most people's addiction, helping individuals break free from compulsion behaviors like gambling, uh, overeating, substance abuse, things that people that have these really pleasure-seeking behaviors, they notice when they start a GOP1, it seems to go away and they don't get the same joy out of gambling or the joy of binge drinking or partying all night or whatever it is.

17:03 Um, there's also obviously the craving reduction. So the peptides dole the excessive dopamine response to high calorie, right? For a bottle of foods, reducing cravings and help us, helping us develop healthier eating patterns, which is kind of funny, because as we have this massive increase in like hyper palatable engineer foods to which people are succumbing And like bodies are getting like laid out at a massive rate because of everything the hyper palatable foods doing our population right along just in time.

17:33 Here comes GOP one peptides to really like help us counter that and kind of like, help stop what's going on in our brains from this like over addiction to food. Kind of funny. I just thought of this actually, this is like impromptu. Um, I noticed that the same form of reward that you would get from like Being on social media or being on a computer or doing that doesn't seem to hold the same weight as it was. So I wonder for people that like really addicted to technology, video games, social, media. I think they would even see improvements in the compulsive nature of what those platforms can.

18:07 engage in, but not YouTube or podcasts wherever you're listening to this, right? Because this is good information. So it's kind of the double-edged sword. But we also have cognitive behavioral improvements. By improving mood and emotional regulation, they enable better executive functioning, decision-making, and impulse control. And this has brought our applications for conditions like ADHD, binge eating disorder, or even OCD. Now, I know this sounds like a stretch, But I think really a lot of these people that suffer from things like, ADHD binge-eating disorder obsessive-compulsive behavior, Is the GOP-1 going to completely cure them?

18:37 No, but I think it mitigates the spikes that a lot of people have that lead them to be on binges or be tweaked out or whatever it is that they end up doing. Moving along to brain health, I wanted to speak specifically to what's going on structurally in the brain. We have neuroprotection. The reduction in neuroinflammation is Huge. So GLP-1 activation reduces pro-inflammatory cytokines and promotes an anti-flammatory environment in the brain.

19:10 Also, like we talked about, pre-clinical studies indicate that GLp peptides reduce the buildup of the amyloid beta plaques and tau-tangle, which is obviously what we see in people with Alzheimer's. And then also, this is huge too, the mitigation of oxidative stress. So they enhance mitochondrial function, reducing oxidative stress and protecting neurons from damage. And then we also have the flip side of that, which is cognitive performance. So not only like suppressing the bad stuff, but also enhancing the good stuff. We have improved glucose utilization. They ensure optimal glucose delivery to neurons, enhancing cognitive tasks like memory and problem solving.

19:44 Like we talked about the enhanced synaptic connectivity. So basically like you're taking, you know, probably a broadband internet, which is in most people's brains and you turning into like a fiber optic cat five internet. And so when we're enhancing that connection between neurons, everything clicks, and everything seems smoother and your on the ball. When words are rolling out of you and everything seems like it's firing the way it should, that's how you should feel. It's not like an anomaly, but they support learning, memory, and cognitive rehabilitation post-brain injuries and then neurogenesis.

20:17 They promote new neuron growth in the hippocampus, which is crucial for memory and spatial Navigation. And then individuals with obesity or type 2 diabetes are at a higher risk of cognitive decline due to chronic hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and more importantly, most importantly vascular damage. That's where really this comes in. So GOP1 peptides address these metabolic dysfunctions, reducing the risk brain-related complications. Now, to close out, for all you data nerds out there like myself, let's look at some proof.

20:49 Now most of you know how I feel about scientific studies, they're not the end all be all. They're really just frameworks for us to operate in and kind of move knowledge or wisdom forward. But so you have to take them with a grain of salt. However, what we can look at is in a preponderance of evidence, I guess, is like an attorney would say. So what I did is just found some recent studies that I could just browsing the internet about what's going on here. so 2024 in Alzheimer's association found that a phase two B trial showed your glutide, which is obviously an old, old GLP one.

21:23 but they reduce brain shrinkage in regions responsible for memory and decision-making by nearly 50% compared to placebo. Let that sink in. Lyric glutide, which we have way better stuff than now, is responsible, for reducing brain-shrinkage and regions related to memory in decision making. Sign me up. 2024, role of gluculon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists in Alzheimer's disease. GOP1 receptor Agonist show potential in treating Alzheimer and Parkinson's through cognitive improvements and reduce neurodegeneration.

21:56 2024, news medical, GOp1 drugs protect brain health by improving neurovascular function and reducing inflammation. So we're found to enhance neurovascular health, again, the blood vessels that are going in your brain, improving metabolic health which led to better cognitive function. 2025, this is actually very recent, in Helio, GOP1 receptor agonists tied to similar thyroid cancer risk as DPB IV inhibitors. So I put this on here because a lot of the times they're like, People are like, oh, they didn't have thyroid cancer.

22:28 There were no significant differences in thyroid-cancer risk between adults using GLP-1 receptor agonists and those using DPP-IV inhibitors, which were different kind of like type 2 diabetes medications. But again, I thought that was interesting to point out. 2023 Journal of Headache and Pain. This was pretty interesting. GLp- 1 receptor Agonist and the headache outcomes in intracranial hypertension. So patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension, which basically just means they have headaches due to blood pressure issues, experienced significant weight loss and improved headache outcomes on GLP-1 receptor agonists.

23:01 That was from the Journal of Headache and Pain. 2023 from Springer, GLp- 1 receptor Agonist reduced stroke risk, cognitive decline, and peripheral neuropathy in diabetic patients. that's a question I do get asked a lot about neuopathy and I think alongside a peptide called ARA290. Anyone experiencing that should be on a GOP1. 2017, it's a little bit older going back, but GOPA1 receptor agonist influenced the brain adipocyte axis linking metabolic regulation to central nervous

23:32 system effects. So obviously they're pretty key finding. 2023, Ozempic may be linked to lower risk of Alzheimer and type 2 diabetes. So once again, type 2 diabetes patients using semaglutide has a significantly lower risk of developing Alzheimer's compared to those on other diabetes medications, including things like metformin, which we know also help with Alzheimer. 2024, the Times found that their glutides slowed memory loss in Alzheimer patients, suggesting GLP-1 drugs may protect the brain in a manner similar to

24:04 how statins protect heart. Well, I'm going to disagree on the statin protecting the heart thing. However, Maybe this could be a good next video. If I get enough people that want to hear this, we could, We could compare like a GOP one, how good it is for your heart health and cholesterol versus a statin, and how bad it they got taken down. So anyway, 2024 Wired Magazine, GOP-1 agonists, including SEMA and TERS, provide neuroprotective benefits and may slow cognitive decline associated with dementia.

24:40 There you go. That is the smoking gun proof that GOPs do. It's one of those things that they say, if you know, you'll know. If you've used one, then you will know what I'm talking about. And if your interested in using one. Well, obviously that's Why I have a presence on the internet is because I help people figure this out for themselves. So that is it for the slides. And that, is your brain on a GLP-1 peptide. Hopefully this was informative, education, and entertaining all in the same token.

25:10 I think if we can learn anything going forward is that we are really, like I said, at this inflection point where people are becoming so unhealthy, we really have the tools to make ourselves healthy again, even if you have maybe damaged or ruined your health through whatever life circumstances you've come across. So hopefully this video can serve as hope to you. And I It has chronic issues. Whether those be obesity, whether it be anxiety, depression, we really do have a Swiss army knife or a jack of all trades peptide that can do things to

25:40 help the body heal. When we look at this, obviously there are side effects. Obviously you cannot just mega dose these drugs and think that everything is going to be okay. There is a certain strategy, which I'm not going talk about in this video, but there are certain strategies and tactics as you use to harness the maximum benefit out of these to live a level 10 life that you live long and strong into old age. And it's so cool now that here in 2025, we have access to things like this. And people just don't know, if they know anything, they knew a little bit about them, but they don t know how to use them right,

26:11 and they dont know everything that you should do alongside using these peptides. Obviously, that's outside the scope of this video, But if you're living the way that myself or other educators in the space talk about to go alongside these Peptides, They can be amazing, amazing adjuncts to someone living an insulin controlled life, to really just take their life to the next level. So I'll leave it at that. Thank you guys so much. Again, I exude gratitude for you, guys. It's so cool that I get to do this. I think this will be the first or second video that published with 15, the 1st video did I record since I've hit 15000 subscribers.

26:45 But thank you you so, much it's a dream come true to me every day that they could do. This or whatever it is, former fashion is whether it just watching the videos, whether it's liking, commenting, subscribing, whether you're on the email list or whether buy products from people that I support or companies that own. Thank you guys so much. It means the world to me. I promise to keep bringing these videos and keep making them better. And I do that from the feedback I get from you. So thank you so and I will see you in the next one. Peace.