For millions of kids in the ’90s, Pokemon was everything. I’m not talking about Pokemon Go, the long-standing animated series, or even the upcoming Detective Pikachu movie starring Reynolds. No, this is all about the original Pokemon blue and red games for Nintendo’s Game Boy. Now, a new study from Stanford has proven that Snorlax, Mewtwo, and all the other Pokemon have left an indelible mark on the brains of those who grew up playing their games, and this could mean great things for science!
Kids who grew up playing the games show added brain activity in their occipitotemporal sulcus when they are presented with images from it. It has been replicated by testing many different people. The great thing about this game and this time period is that it helps create a very controlled environment for testing. The result of this is that scientists have now been able to identify the specific fold in the brain where certain types of childhood exposure develops.
It will be interesting to see how neurologists use this new data as a way to help out with memory-based diseases or possibly even traumatic injury. For now, at least you can take heart in the fact that all of your favorite Pokemon have a clinically proven home, deep inside your mind.