summary: Can hobbies like birdwatching actually reshape the brain? According to new research, the answer is a resounding yes. The researchers compared the brains of expert and novice birdwatchers and found that the experts were structurally more “compact” in areas of the brain associated with attention and perception.
This physical reconstruction was directly related to the accuracy of bird identification. Most importantly, these structural advantages persist into old age, suggesting that high levels of expertise in complex hobbies can provide a protective “cognitive reserve” as we age.
important facts
- Structural compression: Expert bird watchers show lower “average diffusivity” in brain regions associated with attention and perception. This means that their brain tissue is structurally denser and more efficient.
- Accuracy link: The more compact these brain regions were, the more accurately the experts were able to identify both local and unfamiliar bird species.
- Lasting benefits: These brain changes do not disappear with age. Older experts maintained a structural advantage over novices of the same age.
- Cross-domain memory: Older birders were better than novices at remembering arbitrary information (such as faces) if they could connect it with their birding knowledge.
- Complex skill learning: This study suggests that hobbies that engage perception, attention, and memory in tandem provide a unique type of neuroplasticity that benefits general cognition.
sauce: SFN
Research shows that brain structure and activity change as individuals learn and master new skills. But how do more complex skills that involve multiple learning processes affect the brain?
new from neuroscience journalResearchers led by Eric Wing of Baycrest Hospital compared the brains of 29 expert birders and 29 age- and gender-matched novices.
Birding requires a keen eye, attentiveness, and a strong memory, so this work could have important implications for experts in skills that use similar processes.
The researchers found that birdwatchers had more structurally compact brain regions associated with attention and perception, which was associated with more accurate bird identification. Wing elaborates,
“The measure we used was the diffusion of water molecules in the brain. In other words, there are more constraints on where water goes in the expert’s brain.”
Some of these more compact brain regions supported the identification and memory of less familiar birds that do not live in the area.
These structural changes in brain regions associated with attention and perception persisted in older birdwatchers. Speculating on what this means, Wing says, “Learning skills from bird watching may have cognitive benefits as we get older.”
Researchers continue to investigate this idea by investigating whether older adults use the skills they gain from bird watching during other cognitive tasks.
They found that older bird watchers remembered arbitrary faces paired with birds better than novices. Therefore, linking any item to established knowledge in a particular domain may enhance recall of information outside the known domain.
Answers to key questions:
answer: This study focused on people who have mastered advanced perception and memory. However, the important thing is that learn Complex, multi-layered skills drive brain reorganization. The benefits start by starting your journey to becoming an expert.
answer: Think of it like an organized file cabinet and a messy file cabinet. For experts, brain tissue is more “densely packed”, which means there is less neural “noise” and information can be processed faster and more accurately.
answer: While the study doesn’t claim to “prevent” disease, it does show that complex hobbies build “cognitive reserve.” This means that as the brain ages, it has stronger, more efficient structures that help it maintain sharp thinking for longer.
Editorial note:
- This article was edited by the editors of Neuroscience News.
- Journal articles were reviewed in full text.
- Additional context added by staff.
About this cognition and aging research news
author: SFN Media
sauce: SFN
contact: SfN Media – SfN
image: Image credited to Neuroscience News
Original research: Closed access.
“The tuned cortex: a concentration of expertise-related structural and functional restructuring across the adult lifespan.Written by Eric A. Wing, Jordan A. Chad, Geneva Mariotti, Jennifer D. Ryan, and Assaf Gilboa. neuroscience journal
DOI:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1307-25.2026
abstract
The tuned cortex: a concentration of expertise-related structural and functional restructuring across the adult lifespan.
Neuroplasticity is a feature of the brain. Structural and functional changes in the brain occur soon after learning and are especially pronounced after years of practice that supports expert performance.
Much of the existing evidence comes from studies of discrete measures of learning rather than interrelated processes. However, the relationship between structural remodeling, functional adjustment, and region-specific stimulus processing plays a central role in how the brain and behavior adapt to experience.
Here, we provide a multimodal perspective on cortical reorganization in areas where high-level perception, attention, and memory are formed through the widespread practice of bird identification expertise.
Cortical structure was assessed with diffusion-weighted MRI in both experienced bird identification experts (n = 29; age 24–75 years, 15 women) and comparable novices (n = 29; age 22–79 years, 14 women).
Functional and behavioral measurements were obtained during a delayed matching task that required discrimination between native and non-native species. Experts showed lower mean diffusivity in fronto-parietal (SFG, IPS) and posterior cortical (AG, precuneus, LOC, fusiform) regions and a trend toward a more gradual increase in MD with age compared to novices.
This suggests an increase in region-specific structural complexity and a possible reduction in age-related decline. Across these regions, lower MD predicted higher expert identification accuracy.
Task-related BOLD time courses revealed that these same fronto-parietal areas were selectively engaged when experts judged less familiar non-native (vs. native) birds, and that the magnitude of this non-local response > local response tracked performance.
Taken together, these results suggest convergent structural remodeling and functional adjustments that benefit expert performance across the lifespan.
