Week 8 neurobiology of intelligence

What did Wislon 2023’s meta analysis find about intelligence in neurodivergent ppl?

verbal and non-verbal reasoning = in typical range

processing speed = 1 SD below mean

WM = slightly reduced

Is there any correlation between IQ and number of brain cells? What about IQ and brain weight?

no. brain cells = no correlation

brain weight = weak correlation

What did Haier and Benbow 1995 find about brain function and intelligence?

Pet scan ppl with high and ave scores in SAT maths tests

got them to do another SAT maths test whilst PET scan

only in males - sig correlations between maths score and glucose metabolism (activity) in temporal lobes bilaterally

Are there grey matter differences in males vs females and its contribution to intelligence?

male ppts - sig positive correlation between fronto-parietal grey matter region volumes and intelligence

female ppts - total grey matter volume predicted intelligence but not regionally specific to fronto-parietal

Does white matter correlate to intelligence?

males - no

females - positive correlation

Finn et al 2015 procedure?

fMRI of 126 ppts

explored functional connectivity patterns across whole brain and within 10 key networks

six conditions - mixture of rest and complex cognitive tasks

Finn et al 2015 findings?

individual connectivity patterns were stable across all six conditions

connectivity patterns in frontoparietal network most distinctive

connectivity profiles appeared to be able to predict levels of fluid intelligence

Suggest a good test for measuring fluid intelligence

matrix reasoning

What is a connectotype?

descries distinct pattern of brain activity that characterises the way each person’s mind works

implies mental processes don’t necessarily enlist identical neural pathways in every person

Where does most variation in connectotypes tend to occur?

higher order control regions in frontal and parietal cortices

Describe the nature of connectotypes

stable over time

connectotypes of family members resemble one another

heritable