Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Maguire (Research method (DV:Structure and volume of hippocampi (measured…
Maguire
Research method
-
Natural (quasi) experiment which was lab based and used correlation.
Independent measures for the VBM scans
Matched pairs for the pixel counting
-
Sample
Taxi drivers- self selecting
Taxi drivers included 16 right handed, male taxi drivers, average age 44, all licensed more than 18 months and had passed the knowledge test. Range of experience 1.5-42 years
Non taxi drivers-opportunity. Control group of 50 right handed, male, non taxi drivers that were all age matched to taxi drivers. Their brain scans were taken from the MRI scan database.
Procedure
Stage 1: MRI scans of 50 healthy, right handed, male, non taxi drivers aged 33-61 were analysed to establish a comparison database of average 'hippocami volume and structure'. Compared to taxi drivers using VBM
Stage 2: MRI scans of brains of 16 taxi drivers and over 16 matched controls (age matched) were analysed using pixel counting.
-
Conclusions
There are differences in the distribution of grey matter volume, between taxi drivers and non taxi drivers in regions of the hippocampus. Taxi drivers have a greater volume of grey matter in the posterior hippocampus, non taxi drivers have a greater vol of grey matter in anterior hippocampus.
Brain does show plasticity, supported by the results of the correlational analysis which showed that the longer they had been a taxi driver, the greater the volume of grey matter in right posterior hippocampus
-
Findings of experiment
No overall difference in volume of hippocampus but there were some regional differences:
1) Posterior hippocampus greater in TD in both left and right hippocampi
2)Anterior hippocampus greater in NTD in both left and right hippocamppi
3)No significant difference in the body of the hippocami between TD and NTD
Findings of correlation
There was a positive correlation between length of driving experience and grey matter volume of the taxi drivers right posterior hippocampus.
The more experienced the driver is the greater the grey matter vol in right hippocampus.
Negative correlation between length of driving experience and grey matter vol of the TD anterior hippocampus.
Aim
to investigate the role of the hippocampus in navigational and spatial skills in London taxi drivers, and to see the extent to which the brain shows changes (plasticity) when exposed to extensive navigational experience
Procedure
Data was collected using MRI scans. MRI scans use magnets and radio pulses to measure changes in the oxygen level. Involves magnetic fields rotated around head, producing a 3D picture