Scientists Unravel Mysteries of Intelligence

The concept of "general intelligence" has been the subject of much debate in the scientific community for decades. Scientists have wondered what exactly in the brain is the telling sign that one person will have more intelligence than another. Recently researchers have discovered that connections between the frontal and parietal lobes of the brain correlate heavily with an increased general intelligence. Thus these connections, as opposed to any specific part of the brain, are most important in determining the intelligence of a given person. These connections explain why people who are considered "intelligent" are usually good in a variety of subjects as opposed to just one.

This study involved subjects who had brain lesions, or parts of their brain that had been damaged. The patients were required to take IQ tests and then their results were studied and compared with the location of their lesions. This allowed researchers to map out the areas of the brain that had the most effect on the subjects' performance on the test. Once again, these areas were located on the frontal and parietal lobes of the brain. As one of the researchers in the study pointed out, these lobes are very important for language and mathematics. Another researcher pointed out that these results were not unexpected, but were "confirmation that good communication between between various parts of brain are very important for this generalized intelligence."

This article interested me because I have been curious about the factors that contribute to intelligence. I've always wondered why people can be taught the same material, but perform so differently on tests. Obviously this has something to do with how much effort a person puts into learning the material, but this study also causes me to believe that the idea of "general intelligence" has something to do with how well a person understands the material. This study also interests me because I find it amazing how scientists can map the brain and determine what areas contribute to certain areas of intelligence. As technology advances, I'm sure that scientists will continue to make strides in neurological research and continue to unlock the mysteries of the brain and how it works.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20100226/hl_hsn/scientistsunravelmysteriesofintelligence

Michael Cook
VTPP 435-502