Sitting on a park bench and observing woodpeckers could be quite beneficial, as a new study has found that bird-watching may enhance cognitive function as you age.
The Canadian study was published Feb. 23 in JNeurosci, the Journal of Neuroscience. Researchers explored bird identification in expert watchers and assessed changes in brain structure, brain activity and identification performance. Researchers studied the brains of 58 adults, comparing the expert bird-watchers (29 people, ages 24–75) to novices of similar ages and educational backgrounds (29 people, ages 22–79).
The bird-watchers in the expert group were from the Toronto Ornithological Club and the Ontario Field Ornithologists, according to the study obtained by USA TODAY.
The study notes that the regions involved in attention and perception showed structural modification in experts. The same regions were selectively engaged to support identification in challenging circumstances. Additionally, the study’s results suggested that knowledge acquisition might help mitigate age-related decline.
Brain health in experts
According to researchers, acquiring expertise changes brain function. Object recognition experts who trained in music, navigation and motor action had distinct profiles of brain activity.
The researchers chose to examine the brains of bird-watchers because the hobby involves rapid and fine-grained object recognition, as well as “attentional and mnemonic processes oriented toward flexible categorization,” according to the study. Experts in the field can typically classify hundreds of unique species, usually by examining sensory input, which, according to the National Autistic Society, is information we take in from the world around us, including what we see, hear, smell, touch and even how we sense our own body.
Researchers sought to discover how accumulated experience shapes the brain’s cortical structure across the adult lifespan and whether regions showing structural plasticity (the brain’s ability to reorganize its structure when learning a new skill) are “differentially recruited to support expert recognition.” They investigated how decades of expertise reshape the brain to support expert performance throughout adulthood.
The experiment included the following steps: a pre-scan familiarization and practice phase; an initial baseline MRI session in which diffusion, T1 and task-based functional data were collected; a post-baseline behavioral training task and a second MRI session with an identical format to the first.
What did researchers discover?
The results showed that expert bird-watchers had structural brain differences compared with novices, regardless of age. The experts had better recognition and task performance skills, according to the study.
“These results underscore the interconnected nature of structural and functional neuroplasticity arising from extensive training in a domain that demands high-level object recognition, working memory, and visuospatial attention,” the study notes.
While bird-watching does not definitively halt cognitive decline, the study shows that bird-watching and similar hobbies may boost overall brain health.
Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at mdelrey@usatoday.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bird-watching could boost brain health, study finds
