WASHINGTON – Beating D.C. traffic by taking the back roads means you might have a big brain.
For proof of such prowess, take a look at London taxi drivers, who are required to have a detailed knowledge of the city within a six-mile radius of Charing Cross. That means drivers have to learn roughly 25,000 streets and 20,000 landmarks in order to pass a special test — a process that takes between two and four years.
Researchers conducting a recent study say those drivers who passed the rigorous certification process had more gray matter — i.e., more brain, at least in one section — than those that failed.
Researchers say the results show proof that adult brains can change through learning, although it may not be all for the best: Even though the taxi drivers were much better at remembering local landmarks, they were worse at remembering other complex visual information compared to a control group.
WTOP’s Max Smith contributed to this report. Follow Max and WTOP on Twitter.
(Copyright 2011 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
