We?ve all battled over driving directions. One person insists on following the prescribed GPS route while another, shouting to be heard over the voice guidance, claims there?s a better way that the dumb computer couldn?t possibly know. Either method might get you there, but one may actually improve brain function. 
A new study by University College London found that two areas of the brain?the memory- and direction-related hippocampus and the decision-making prefrontal cortex?saw ?spikes of activity? when people turned down new streets or had several streets they could freely choose along their route. The researchers compared the brain scans of 24 volunteers in a driving simulation of central London, some with fixed routes to a destination and some without. Drivers following a navigation system saw no additional activity in those areas of their brains, whereas those left vulnerable to London?s tangled web of streets were essentially firing on all cylinders: plotting, deciding, and reaping the rewards (or pitfalls) of their discoveries. ...