BBC NEWS

 Monday, 13 March, 2000, 22:04 GMT

Taxi drivers' brains 'grow' on the job

Cab drivers' grey matter enlarges and adapts to help them store a detailed

mental map of the city, according to research.

Taxi drivers given brain scans by scientists at University College London had

a larger hippocampus compared with other people. This part of the brain is

associated with navigation in birds and animals.

The scientists also found that part of the hippocampus grew larger as the

taxi drivers spent more time in the job.

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