{"id":1335,"date":"2010-12-27T14:52:19","date_gmt":"2010-12-27T18:52:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/ombs\/?p=1335"},"modified":"2010-12-27T14:52:19","modified_gmt":"2010-12-27T18:52:19","slug":"the-dangers-of-thinking-on-auto-pilot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/ombs\/2010\/12\/27\/the-dangers-of-thinking-on-auto-pilot\/","title":{"rendered":"The Dangers of Thinking on Auto-Pilot"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a class=\"addthis_button\" href=\"http:\/\/www.addthis.com\/bookmark.php?v=250&amp;username=xa-4bb6bcc8320e5dd9\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/s7.addthis.com\/static\/btn\/v2\/lg-share-en.gif\" alt=\"Bookmark and Share\" width=\"125\" height=\"16\" \/><\/a><script src=\"http:\/\/s7.addthis.com\/js\/250\/addthis_widget.js#username=xa-4bb6bcc8320e5dd9\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script><\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 224px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;margin: 1px 5px\" src=\"http:\/\/gpssystems365.com\/uploaded_images\/car-GPS-systems-758969.jpg\" alt=\"Dependence on GPS causes you to ignore landmarks needed to build cognitive maps\" width=\"214\" height=\"151\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dependence on a GPS causes you to ignore external stimuli needed to build cognitive maps<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Global Positioning System (GPS) has revolutionized the way we travel. We are able to \u201cfind ourselves\u201d when we get lost and also get directions to anywhere we want to go. However, a recent study suggests that depending too heavily on a GPS can have a negative effect on your brain.<\/p>\n<p>Researchers at McGill University conducted three studies that confirm that there is a link between being an avid GPS user and having difficulty in memory-related tasks. Instead of using spatial-navigation strategies consisting of building cognitive maps to know where you\u2019re going, GPS users may depend on a stimulus-response strategy which determines where to turn based on repetition instead of any external stimulus.<\/p>\n<p>The fMRI images of younger subjects who used the spatial-navigation strategy when compared to older subjects who preferred the stimulus-response strategy when navigating through a virtual maze showed to have increased activity in the hippocampus, the structure in the brain responsible for memory and spatial navigation. Moreover, older adults that preferred spatial-navigation strategies had more gray matter in their hippocampal region than those who preferred the stimulus-response strategy. They also scored higher on standardized cognition tests.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 178px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;margin: 1px 5px\" src=\"http:\/\/bostonspineclinics.com\/clients\/3401\/images\/.resized\/.resized_280x242_Memory_hippocampus_brain_1.jpg\" alt=\"The hippocampus is responsible for memory and navigation\" width=\"168\" height=\"145\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Hippocampus is the region in the brain responsible for memory and navigation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Although these tests do not confirm causality, it is very possible that the lack of hippocampal activity in the brains of GPS users may lead to atrophy of the hippocampus as they age, which puts them at greater risk for diseases such as Alzheimer\u2019s. The researchers do not suggest getting rid of the GPS all together. However, they recommend that although it might be necessary when going to a new place, it wouldn\u2019t hurt to turn your GPS off in a familiar neighborhood. Although building a cognitive map may take some time, it is well worth it.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.msnbc.msn.com\/id\/40138522\/ns\/health-mental_health\/\">GPS addict? It may be eroding your brain<\/a> &#8211; Mental Health on MSNBC<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.dailytech.com\/Study+GPS+Units+Cause+Memory+and+Spatial+Problems+\/article20169.htm\">Study: GPS Units Cause Memory and Spatial Problems<\/a> &#8211; Daily Tech<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Global Positioning System (GPS) has revolutionized the way we travel. We are able to \u201cfind ourselves\u201d when we get lost and also get directions to anywhere we want to go. However, a recent study suggests that depending too heavily on a GPS can have a negative effect on your brain. Researchers at McGill University [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7108,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/ombs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1335"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/ombs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/ombs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/ombs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7108"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/ombs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1335"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/ombs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1335\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/ombs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/ombs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/ombs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}