Navigation-related structural change in the hippocampi of taxi drivers.

Details

Serval ID
serval:BIB_300032D23004
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Title
Navigation-related structural change in the hippocampi of taxi drivers.
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Author(s)
Maguire E.A., Gadian D.G., Johnsrude I.S., Good C.D., Ashburner J., Frackowiak R.S., Frith C.D.
ISSN
0027-8424 (Print)
ISSN-L
0027-8424
Publication state
Published
Issued date
2000
Volume
97
Number
8
Pages
4398-4403
Language
english
Notes
Publication types: Journal Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tPublication Status: ppublish
Abstract
Structural MRIs of the brains of humans with extensive navigation experience, licensed London taxi drivers, were analyzed and compared with those of control subjects who did not drive taxis. The posterior hippocampi of taxi drivers were significantly larger relative to those of control subjects. A more anterior hippocampal region was larger in control subjects than in taxi drivers. Hippocampal volume correlated with the amount of time spent as a taxi driver (positively in the posterior and negatively in the anterior hippocampus). These data are in accordance with the idea that the posterior hippocampus stores a spatial representation of the environment and can expand regionally to accommodate elaboration of this representation in people with a high dependence on navigational skills. It seems that there is a capacity for local plastic change in the structure of the healthy adult human brain in response to environmental demands.
Keywords
Adult, Automobile Driving, Hippocampus/anatomy & histology, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Middle Aged, Orientation/physiology
Pubmed
Web of science
Open Access
Yes
Create date
12/09/2011 21:10
Last modification date
20/08/2019 14:14
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