Physical exercise: increase hippocampal volume, and video games: changes in dorsal striatum
February 5, 2010
Two studys currently carried out have shown changes in hippocampal volume and dorsal striatum as a result of physical exercise and playing video games, respectively.
1)The preliminary results of a study conducted by German researchers have shown that physical exercise may contribute to an increase in hippocampal volume. For more information, take a look at: Arch Gen Psychiatry, Vol. 67:2, pp. 133-143.
2)In the analysis, the researchers (Pittsburg) found that the striatum was more related to learning how to play video games than the hippocampus. In addition, the volume of the “dorsal striatum positively predicted performance improvements for those individuals trained with strategies promoting cognitive flexibility, whereas the volume of the ventral striatum did not, according to the authors. This research was published online January 20 in the journal Cerebral Cortex. More information can be found at http://www.auntminnie.com/index.asp?Sec=sup&Sub=mri&Pag=dis&ItemId=89351&wf=3561
