Memory Is More Indelible Than Ink

A 2019 Stanford study found that adults who played Pokémon as children have a dedicated brain region that fires specifically when they see Pikachu. We're not talking about a vague familiarity here, but about a dedicated neural region that is carved out during childhood and still fires decades later. You may be familiar with the mechanism called neuroplasticity, in which the brain reorganizes itself based on experience, most aggressively between ages 5 and 12. Meaning, whatever children interact with repeatedly during that window gets permanent neural real estate.