Localisation Of Brain
One study of localisation of function in the brain is Maguire (2000), who looked at the role of the hippocampus in spatial memory. Localisation is a theory that different parts of the brain are responsible for certain behaviours or functions. The hippocampus is located in the medial temporal lobe of the brain, and is associated with memory and spatial navigation. Maguire’s study provides some insight into the localisation of these functions in the hippocampus.
Maguire’s study was a natural experiment, aiming to see if spatial memory was localised in the hippocampus. The procedure was using MRI scans to compare the brains of two groups of people – a control group, made up of 16 right handed taxi drivers and 50 right-handed males who were not
taxi drivers. The reason for this sampling is because taxi drivers need to have great spatial awareness in order to be able to bring people to the places that they request. This allowed Maguire to compare a group of people that relied on spatial navigation for a living to a group that didn’t, and to see how the different behaviours can show localisation of function in the brain. The results of the study showed more grey matter in the posterior hippocampus of the taxi drivers brains, while the control group had more grey matter in the anterior hippocampus. Maguire concluded that spatial memory is located in the posterior hippocampus.
Maguire’s study showed that spatial memory is located in the hippocampus, which supports the theory of localisation of function in the brain.
Maguire’s study was a natural experiment, aiming to see if spatial memory was localised in the hippocampus. The procedure was using MRI scans to compare the brains of two groups of people – a control group, made up of 16 right handed taxi drivers and 50 right-handed males who were not
taxi drivers. The reason for this sampling is because taxi drivers need to have great spatial awareness in order to be able to bring people to the places that they request. This allowed Maguire to compare a group of people that relied on spatial navigation for a living to a group that didn’t, and to see how the different behaviours can show localisation of function in the brain. The results of the study showed more grey matter in the posterior hippocampus of the taxi drivers brains, while the control group had more grey matter in the anterior hippocampus. Maguire concluded that spatial memory is located in the posterior hippocampus.
Maguire’s study showed that spatial memory is located in the hippocampus, which supports the theory of localisation of function in the brain.