Not resting: scientists have studied the work of people’s brains while watching movies

Do you think that watching movies is a rest for the brain? A new study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) shows that watching movies activates various neural networks in our brain.

Scientists managed to create the most detailed functional map of the brain to date. They identified 24 different neural networks that are activated when we watch movies. Research, published in the journal Neuron, used data from the project Human Connectome Project: MRI brain scans of 176 young adults who watched a 60-minute selection of short clips from popular movies — from «Inception» to «Home Alone».

Researchers have found an inverse relationship between executive areas of the brain and other brain functions. When viewers watch complex scenes, such as the planning of a robbery in «Ocean’s Eleven», executive areas of the brain responsible for planning, problem solving, and prioritizing information are activated. And during simple dialogues, such as in the movie «Erin Brockovich», specialized areas of the brain, such as those responsible for language processing, are activated.

An interesting observation: when the clips suddenly stopped (there was a 20-second pause between them), the researchers recorded a huge activity in the executive control areas of the brain. Rajimer suggests that this reaction may be due to the automatic activation of neural memory circuits when the brain tries to recall the content of the viewed clips.

Since people can react differently to movies, the researchers averaged the data from all participants to identify common patterns of brain activity. To observe this, they used functional MRI, which tracks brain activity through changes in blood flow in different parts of the brain.

This discovery may have important practical implications. It will help to better understand brain function in various diseases such as schizophrenia and autism. The results could also be useful for movie producers to create more engaging content, Rajimer says.

Source: livescience