Looks like the answer is “yes”.

Here’s a quote…

Brain imaging shows playing Tetris leads to a thicker cortex and may also increase brain efficiency, according to research published in the open access journal BMC Research Notes. A research team based in New Mexico is one of the first to investigate the effects of practice in the brain using two image techniques.

(Bolding mine.)

Here’s a quote…

In a finding that sheds new light on the neural mechanisms involved in social behavior, neuroscientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have pinpointed the brain structure responsible for our sense of personal space.

kambiz:

Psychologists at the University of California, Los Angeles say the human body has a gene that connects physical pain sensitivity with social pain sensitivity. The findings back the common theory that rejection ‘hurts’ by showing that a gene regulating the body’s most potent painkillers — mu-opioids — is involved in socially painful experiences too.

Here’s a quote…

Nerve fibers that link perception and motor regions of the brain are disconnected in tone-deaf people, according to new research in the August 19 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. Experts estimate that at least 10 percent of the population may be tone deaf – unable to sing in tune. The new finding identifies a particular brain circuit that appears to be absent in these individuals

(H/T Jason Malloy)

I was digging through Yann Klimentidis’ Weblog, when I came across this article (again) where he talks about a paper entitled “The evolution of the social brain: Anthropoid primates contrast with other vertebrates” (PDF) that came out in Proceedings of the Royal Society, B.  Here’s an excerpt from Yann’s post….

The interesting thing that they find in this paper is that, in non-primate taxa, pairbonded species have larger brain sizes than would be predicted for group size. So there’s something about monogamy or related to monogamy that requires more brain power. In primates this effect does not happen. For them, those species that live in the largest groups have the larger brains. The authors give a short explanation as to why the pattern does not hold in primates, namely because in primates “these bonded relationships have been generalized to all social partners”….

(Emphasis mine.)

Read the rest of Yann’s comments post here…

(In case you don’t know why people tend to care about big brains… it’s because bigger brains are positively correlated with increased intelligence.)