London taxi drivers and bus drivers: A structural MRI and

neuropsychological analysis

Veronika Lyutakova

1. What are the research questions?

Before to be a licensed taxi driver in London, people have to make a course, where they
must to take the Knowledge exam that asks students to memorize the location of all
streets, routes and landmarks in central London. The main question in these research
are related to some things: What is the effect of self-motion, driving experience, and
stress on gray matter volume in licensed London taxi drivers? Researchers use also bus
drivers who operate along a constrained set of routes. How drivers brain changes
before and after studying for the exam? What are the differences between brain, which
is of participants and brain, which did not study for the exam?

2. What was the hypothesis?

If there was no difference in hippocampal gray matter volume between taxi drivers, this
would suggest that previous differences were explicable by non-spatial factors. But if
gray matter differences in taxi drivers were still apparent even accounting for self-
motion, driving, and stress, then this would be further evidence that hippocampal gray
matter volume may be responsive to demands placed on spatial memory by
representing and navigating in large scale space.

3. What were the research methods used?

In research it use MRI Scan – magnetic resonance imaging to form pictures of the
anatomy and the physiological process of the body. Images were reconstructed by
performing a standard 3D Fourier transform, followed by modulus calculation.
The other method was Neuropsychological test battery, which was used to assess a
range of basic cognitive, memory, and affective functions.
Also in research used questionnaires to assess stress and anxiety levels. The Stress scale
included 10 questions, and measures the degree to which situations in life are seen as
stressful. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory is divided into two parts; the first assesses
the subject’s feelings of anxiety at the moment of testing, while the second part
assesses the subject’s anxiety generally in daily life.
4. What were the results?
Bus drivers and taxi drivers had greater gray matter volume in mid-posterior hippocampi
and less volume in anterior hippocampi. Furthermore, years of avigation experience
correlated with hippocampal gray matter volume only in taxi drivers, with right
posterior gray matter volume increasing and anterior volume decreasing with more
navigation experience. The ability to acquire new visuo-spatial information was worse in
taxi drivers than in bus drivers.
About the brains: The researchers examined the scan results to check for differences
between the two groups. They found no significant differences anywhere in the brain
except for in the hippocampi. In the taxi drivers, the posterior hippocampi were larger
and the anterior hippocampi were smaller than those of the bus drivers.
About the Cognition: Not surprisingly, the taxi drivers were better at recognizing London
landmarks. However, the bus drivers were slightly better at some of the other cognitive
tests. Interestingly, the taxi drivers were worse at acquiring and remembering new
visuo-spatial skills.

5. Did the results support the hypothesis?

The two groups only differed in the extent of their knowledge of London’s layout and
this support the hypothesis that the structural differences in taxi drivers may relate to
spatial memory.

6. How is this research evidence of neuroplasticity?

Evidence of neuroplasticity has been observed mostly in the brains of individuals who
became experts in a particular skill. Because changes associated with learning occur
massively when we become expert in a specific domain. The areas of the brain that
support the skills at which one has become an expert change over time. London taxi
drivers have a larger hippocampus (in the temporal lobe) than London bus drivers. This
is explained by the fact that the hippocampus is important for forming and accessing
complex memories, including spatial memories necessary to navigate efficiently. Taxi
drivers have to navigate around London whereas bus drivers follow a limited set of
routes. Thus the hippocampus of taxi driver is particularly stimulated and gets to change
over time.

7. How is neuroplasticity related to learning and memory?

Neuroplasticity occurs in the brain whenever something new is learned and memorized.
The brain never stops changing through learning. Changes associated with learning
occur mostly at the level of connections between neurons: New connections form and
the internal structure of the existing synapses change. London taxi drivers have a larger
hippocampus (in the posterior region) than London bus drivers. It is because this region
of the hippocampus is specialized in acquiring and using complex spatial information in
order to navigate efficiently. Taxi drivers have to navigate around London whereas bus
drivers follow a limited set of routes.

8. What are some of the limitations of this research?