Brain adapts to winning and losing

Published on 15/10/2012 01:50

Strong competition rewires the brain, a study has found.

In mouse “turf wars”, repeated defeats reduced activity in the frontal cortex of the brain.Boosted activity in the same region was seen in mice that continually emerged the winner in territorial disputes.

The frontal cortex is the “higher” area of the brain and controls decision-making and planning.