Lights, camera… neural action!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science saying…
What is your brain actually doing while you watch a movie?
Reza Rajimehr at MIT observed brain activity in two hundred people watching film clips. Why? To understand how our brains process information from the world around us.
And? Scientists mapped twenty-four distinct brain networks that take the spotlight depending on what’s happening on screen. Specialized regions activate when they recognize faces or places.
When a scene was unfamiliar, regions supporting higher cognitive functions took over. This “push-pull” balance helps our brains make sense of the world with speed and precision.
So, next time you’re engrossed in a movie, remember: your brain is directing its own cinematic masterpiece! Boo yah, Scorcese!
Reference: Rajimehr, R., Xu, H., Farahani, A., et al. Functional architecture of cerebral cortex during naturalistic movie watching. Neuron (2024). doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2024.10.005