PFC

Pacman-like game shows how the best-laid plans give way to instinct as danger approaches

edyong | July 22, 2009

This is a repost from the old Wordpress incarnation of Not Exactly Rocket Science You are being hunted, chased through a labyrinth by a relentless predator. Do you consider your options and plan the best possible escape, or do you switch off and rely solely on instinct? A new study provides the answer - you do both, flicking from one to the other depending on how far away the threat is. Earlier studies have found that different parts of a rodent's brain are activated in the face of danger, depending on how imminent that danger is. Now, scientists at University College London has found the…