Talent in the taxi: a model system for exploring expertise

Abstract

While there is widespread interest in and admiration of individuals with exceptional talents, surprisingly little is known about the cognitive and neural mechanisms underpinning talent, and indeed how talent relates to expertise. Because many talents are first identified and nurtured in childhood, it can be difficult to determine whether talent is innate, can be acquired through extensive practice or can only be acquired in the presence of the developing brain. We sought to address some of these issues by studying healthy adults who acquired expertise in adulthood. We focused on the domain of memory and used licensed London taxi drivers as a model system. Taxi drivers have to learn the layout of 25 000 streets in London and the locations of thousands of places of interest, and pass stringent examinations in order to obtain an operating licence. Using neuropsychological assessment and structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging, we addressed a range of key questions: in the context of a fully developed brain and an average IQ, can people acquire expertise to an exceptional level; what are the neural signatures, both structural and functional, associated with the use of expertise; does expertise change the brain compared with unskilled control participants; does it confer any cognitive advantages, and similarly, does it come at a cost to other functions? By studying retired taxi drivers, we also consider what happens to their brains and behaviour when experts stop using their skill. Finally, we discuss how the expertise of taxi drivers might relate to the issue of talent and innate abilities. We suggest that exploring talent and expertise in this manner could have implications for education, rehabilitation of patients with cognitive impairments, understanding individual differences and possibly conditions such as autism where exceptional abilities can be a feature.

Immature integration and segregation of emotion-related brain circuitry in young children

“…Converging evidence from studies in rodents and humans suggests that experiencedependent development also plays a critical role in modulating development of neural wiring and regional specialization processes (1,2,16). For instance, studies have shown that behavioral training shapes intrinsic characteristics, such as volume, morphometry, myelination, and local circuits, in task-relevant brain structures (30,31). Similar principles are likely to operate in the BLA and CMA, leading to increased segregation of function within these regions.…”

White matter neuroplastic changes in long-term trained players of the game of “Baduk” (GO): A voxel-based diffusion-tensor imaging study

“…Because all the Baduk experts recruited for this study also started training very young, it is possible that innate factors influenced our selection of the Baduk experts. Along these lines, a report on the navigating talents of London taxi drivers attributed these skills to extensive training during adulthood (Woollett et al, 2009). Using voxelbased measures on structural brain MRI data, the authors revealed that the expertise acquired in adulthood can cause significant changes in gray matter volume as well as in neuropsychological profiles.…”

The beautiful otherness of the autistic mind

“…However, it is impossible to resist asking, could we all be savants if only we put in the hours of practice? Woollett et al (2009) show that navigation expertise rests on years of training and even then depends on constant practice. London taxi drivers who have internalized the complex street map of London show concomitant changes in the hippocampus.…”