UC Berkeley scientists have captured unique images of problem-solving in action by tapping into the minds of mice. The study shows rapid rewiring in the rodents’ frontal brains after they learn by trial and error.
Using advanced microscopy techniques, researchers found that when mice used new strategies to find hidden treats during a foraging task, they showed a dramatic resculpting of their frontal lobes.
“We are excited because these are the first pictures of live rewiring in the brain at the synaptic level that capture a trace of this higher-order form of learning,” said study senior author Linda Wilbrecht, an associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at UC Berkeley.
The findings, published today in the journal Nature Communications, provide compelling evidence in favor of “active learning,” an approach that promotes critical thinking and problem-solving in schools and workplaces.
Read more from Berkeley News | March 7th, 2016: https://news.berkeley.edu/2016/03/07/problem-solving-in-action/