Why do London taxi drivers have larger hippocampuses?

In other words, taxi drivers had plumper memory centers than their peers. It seemed that the longer someone had been driving a taxi, the larger his hippocampus, as though the brain expanded to accommodate the cognitive demands of navigating London's streets.



London taxi drivers have significantly larger posterior hippocampuses—the part of the brain responsible for spatial navigation and memory—due to the rigorous process of learning "The Knowledge." To become a licensed Black Cab driver, candidates must memorize the layout of over 25,000 streets and thousands of landmarks within a six-mile radius of Charing Cross, a process that typically takes 3 to 4 years of intense study. Neuroscientists at University College London found that this mental exercise physically alters the brain's structure through neuroplasticity. As the drivers build a "mental map" of the city and learn to calculate the most efficient routes in real-time without GPS, the neurons in the hippocampus form more connections and increase in volume. Interestingly, the study found that retired drivers' hippocampuses eventually shrink back toward the average size once they stop using the skill daily, and prospective drivers who fail to pass "The Knowledge" exams do not show the same brain growth. This remains one of the most famous examples in modern science of how a specialized, high-intensity mental task can literally reshape the human brain's physical anatomy.

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Previous studies have shown that taxi drivers have a larger hippocampus compared to non-taxi drivers. This is interesting as this brain region shrinks and becomes damaged in Alzheimer's disease, leading to symptoms of memory loss and confusion associated with the disease.

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“London cabbies have remarkable brains,” said Hugo Spiers, a professor of cognitive neuroscience who is leading the study with several graduate students. “Specifically, their brains' are larger in a region that shrinks early in Alzheimer's disease — the hippocampus.”

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That is because they know the center of the British capital; they'll have committed 320 runs across 25,000 streets, encompassing at least 20,000 landmarks, to memory.

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Taxi drivers, as well as other professional drivers categories, may experience genitourinary disturbances such as voiding dysfunction, urinary infections but also infertility, urolithiasis, bladder cancer, also called “taxi cab syndrome”[13].

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“Take me from Park Lane to Earl's Court,” a customer might say. And a cab driver in London is required to know the quickest way off by heart. That is because they know the center of the British capital; they'll have committed 320 runs across 25,000 streets, encompassing at least 20,000 landmarks, to memory.

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This confirmed the scientists' conclusion that the Black Cab drivers' unusually complex training was the reason for their dramatic brain growth. The studies conducted with Black Cab drivers, of which there have now been many,2,3 showed a degree of brain flexibility, or plasticity, that stunned scientists.

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As a taxi driver you'll spend many hours of your day sitting behind the wheel, and this can cause a lot of stress on your body. Regular physical activity helps reduce the effects of stress by: Encouraging the release of 'feel good' endorphins.

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In order to become a licensed London taxi driver, you must pass the difficult and gruelling Knowledge test, of which there is a 70% drop out rate and for which there are no study materials. In order to apply for the Knowledge, you must be: At least 18 years old (you cannot receive your license until you are 21)

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Getting a Hackney cab licence requires passing a test known as the Knowledge. This has been in place since 1865 and takes 3 to 4 years to pass. Anyone who drives a London cab will have had to memorise 20,000 landmarks and 25,000 streets in the city. This makes becoming a London cab driver a daunting task.

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