Aim: To investigate whether hippocampi were larger in taxi drivers due to navigational experiences compared to non-taxi drivers
1 of 6
Participants
Participants
16 male licensed male taxi drivers
all passed 'the knowledge'
Right handed
ages between 32-62 / mean age 44
all licensed for atleast 16 months (mean 14.2 years)
healthy medical, neurological and psychiatric profiles
2 of 6
Method
Method
Quasi
IV = taxi driver or non taxi driver
data collected via 2 different types of MRI scans:
1. Voxel based morphology
2. Pixel counting
3 of 6
Results
VBM Results:
Taxi drivers = Increased grey matter volume in hippocampi
Control group = greater grey matter volume in anterior of hippocampi
Pixel Counting
No difference in overall volume of hippocampi between groups
Confimed regional difference
Correlations
Signioficant positive correlation between volume of right prosterior hippocampi and time spent as taxi driver
Negative correlation of size of anterior hippocampi and time spent as taxi driver
4 of 6
Conclusions
Conclusions
Hippocampi shows plasticity = volume increased with navigation experience
Correlational results = hippocampi size increased after the knowledge not before, as an increase in time spent as a taxi driver = greater volume of right propsterior hippocampus
5 of 6
Evaluation
Evalutaion
Strength
VBM = precise and objective measurements
Pixel counting = elimated possibility of researcher bias and demand charcateristics
Weaknesses
No cause and effect established (no measure of taxi drivers before they became taxi drivers)
Uses
Important implications for rehabilitation of people with neurological damage.
Comments
No comments have yet been made