More Experience = Bigger Brain? Pinky and The Brain
Methods Used
studied and measured versus complex folded brain structures of higher mammals. The study included 16 experiments carried out over a 10-year period by measuring the levels of neurotransmitter chemicals and brain enzymes with the aid of high magnification technology to measure brain changes in rats. Each experiment used 4 litters of rats; specifically, three males from each litter that were randomly placed in one of three separate environments. The standard environment had food, water, and several rats in one cage. The impoverished environment was a small cage with one rat in isolation with adequate food. The enriched environment was a large cage with six to eight rats, and a new toy added each day. The experiment was conducted over periods of 4 to 10 weeks before the rats were euthanized and randomized autopsies were performed.
The study was conducted with laboratory rats which have smooth brain structures that are easily
The study indicated the cerebral cortex of the enriched environment rats
The 1990’s cartoon may have been inspired by research performed at the University of California, Berkeley campus 30 years earlier. Researchers Mark Rosenzweig, Edward Bennett and Marian Diamond set out to prove that differences in brain growth and chemistry will be evident in animals raised and subjected to highly stimulating environments versus those subject to plain or dull environments.
In the cartoon, Pinky is a tall mouse with a small head and little intelligence, while Brain is the short mouse with the oversized head, who is portrayed as possessing extremely high intelligence, hence his large cranium.
Fact or Fiction
was significantly heavier and thicker versus the impoverished rats. This area of the brain would have been impacted by experience because it is responsible for sensory input, movement, learning, and memory.
Areas of the brain in rats Also, the neurons of the enriched rats were measurably larger and higher levels of acetylcholinesterase, a nervous system enzyme present in the brain, were present. The same result pattern was found in repeated attempts of the experiment. The effects on psychology included proving testing concepts and techniques that aided further research and theories that human learning environments are enhanced by sensory experience. Also, it helped develop the association between malnutrition and intelligence.