Biological Area-Maguire Flashcards
What was the aim?
To investigate the differences in brain, especially in the hippocampus, in London taxi drivers and to establish whether, compared to controls, differences in hippocampal volume would be observed. The study also aimed to further investigate the functions of the hippocampus in spatial memory.
What was the method and design?
An experiment using independent measures design, London taxi drivers to controls
Describe the taxi participants
16 right handed male London taxi drivers aged 32-62 years.
All had been London taxi drivers for at least 1.5 years with a mean time of 14.3
The average time they had spent being on the knowledge was two years
All had healthy, neurological and medical and psychological profiles.
Describe the control group?
50 handed males, aged 32-62 years
They were selected so that no females, no under 32s or 62s and no one with health problems
What was the procedure?
Taxi drivers were scanned using an MRI scanner, designs to investigate the autonomy of the brain.
Their scans were analysed an measured with the scans of the control
The measurement of brain differences used two techniques
VBM was used to measure the grey matter volume and indicate general brain differences between the two conditions.
Pixel counting was carried bourbon the scans by one person experienced in the technique and blinded to the conditions. Pixel counting focused on the hippocampus divided into
A)posterior
B)hippocampus body
C)anterior
What did the pixel counting analysis show?
Pixel counting revealed no difference in overall volume, however significant regional difference side by side.
What were the regional differences from pixel counting?
Non taxi drivers had higher hippocampul volume in the anterior hippocampus than in the left.
No overall volume difference in the hippocampus body but non taxi drivers had higher volume in the right side.
The taxi drivers had a generally higher volume in their posterior hippocampus than the non-taxi drivers
What did VBM analysis show?
Increase in grey matter for taxi drivers in only two areas of the brain the left and right hippocampi, there was an increase in grey matter bilaterally of the posterior hippocampi but a decrease in grey matter bilaterally in the anterior hippocampi
What were the conclusion?
Provide evidence of regionally specific structural differences between hippocampi or London taxi drivers and those of control subjects.
Correlation analysis confirmed this was due to environmental stimulation supporting idea of brain plasticity.
