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Recent research at New York University pondered how film content, editing and directing can impact brain activity.

Thanks to the film blog pullquote, I came across this intriguing study, in which neuroscientists reviewed brain activity of test subjects who watched three film clips: a 30-minute section of “The Good, the Bad & the Ugly,” an Alfred Hitchcock-directed episode of “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” and an episode of Larry David’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”And what clip grabbed the strongest control of people’s minds? The Hitchcock episode, according to the neuroscientists.

From their report:

“Our data suggest that achieving a tight control over viewers’ brains during a movie requires, in most cases, intentional construction of the film’s sequence through aesthetic means,” the researchers wrote.

“The fact that Hitchcock was able to orchestrate the responses of so many different brain regions, turning them on and off at the same time across all viewers, may provide neuroscientific evidence for his notoriously famous ability to master and manipulate viewers’ minds. Hitchcock often liked to tell interviewers that for him ‘creation is based on an exact science of audience reactions.’

”So why do I mention this? Because TCM is giving you an opportunity to screw with your brain a bit. Tomorrow morning (Independence Day, for those of you who have trouble piecing such things together), the network is airing a slew of Hitchcock masterpieces well worth reaching for the TiVo or DVR: “Notorious” (6:30 a.m. Central Time), “Shadow of a Doubt” (8:30 a.m.), “Psycho” (10:30 a.m.), “Vertigo” (12:30 p.m.), “The Birds” (2:45 p.m.) and “Rear Window” (5 p.m.).

If you haven’t seen at least four of these films, you owe it to yourself to watch ‘em. And if you’ve seen them all, why not revisit them?

– Chase