What were the results of the Maguire Taxi Driver study?

The mean age did not differ between the two groups. Results: 1) Increased grey matter was found in the brains of taxi drivers compared with controls in two brain regions, the right and left hippocampi. The increased volume was found in the posterior (rear) hippocampus.



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In her earliest studies, Maguire discovered that London taxi drivers had more gray matter in their posterior hippocampi than people who were similar in age, education and intelligence, but who did not drive taxis. In other words, taxi drivers had plumper memory centers than their peers.

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Travis Bickle (Robert DeNiro), age 26, is Taxi Driver's lonely, alienated “hero.” Yes, he's a Vietnam War vet, ex-marine, and likely has his share of PTSD.

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Now, with the exam over, the researchers found an increase in grey matter -- the nerve cells in the brain where processing takes place -- in the back part of the hippocampus of the trainees who passed the test. Those that failed, or never learned, had no changes to their brain structure.

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