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Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Why Some Kids Are Smarter

A large-scale study of brain development pinpoints the anatomical changes that are linked to IQ.

By Emily Singer
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The brains of more intelligent children appear to develop in a characteristic way, growing quickly over an extended period between the ages of 5 and 12. These findings -- some of the most detailed research on brain development and IQ -- resulted from a 15-year study done by the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH.)

The study, which used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to gain a detailed picture of how the brains of children change over time, found that in kids who did better on standard IQ tests, the cortex grew thicker and faster and its growth peaked later than among their average peers.

[To view images from the study, click here.] 

Researchers say the findings could help scientists pinpoint genes involved in brain development and IQ levels. It could also give scientists a better picture of normal brain development and shed light on childhood developmental and psychiatric diseases, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD.)

"The study shows that there are clear features in brain images that are different for smart children versus average children," says Paul Thompson, a brain-imaging expert at the University of California, Los Angeles (who was not involved in the project). "Now it should become extremely fast to identify some of the main factors that make the brain develop in a healthy way...such as how kids are taught, their diet, their parental upbringing, or...genetics."

Most previous studies of brain development have compared children's brains at a single time in their lives. The new study, published today in the journal Nature, took a broader look, by studying children as they grew. The researchers followed more than 300 children, ages 5 to 19, for a total of 15 years, taking MRI images of their brains at several different times in their development.

The cortex, which is made up of nerve-cell bodies covering the outer layer of the brain, is largely responsible for higher-order brain functions, such as reasoning and perception. All children show the same basic pattern of cortical development: the cortex grows during childhood, and thins in adolescence, as unused neural connections are pruned away.

According to this new study, children with the highest IQs start out with a thinner cortex, which undergoes rapid growth, peaking at around age 12, instead of age 8 or 9 for children who got average scores on IQ tests. "Children with the most agile minds have the most rapidly changing cortex," says Philip Shaw, a child psychiatrist at NIMH who led the research.
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Comments

  • Interesting article
    Guest (mraskind@schwablearning.org) on 03/29/2006 at 12:00 AM
    Posts:
    1
    Marshall - This isn't exactly relevant to our work but it is interesting.
    Kristin
    Rate this comment: 12345
  • Smarter Kids
    Guest (amir.kamdar@tdsecurities.com) on 03/30/2006 at 12:00 AM
    Posts:
    1
    check this out
    Rate this comment: 12345
  • Smart is not 1-dimensional
    Guest (Jon Meads) on 03/30/2006 at 12:00 AM
    Posts:
    1
    You can't determine a person's intelligence with a single measure. There are a lot of different types of intelligence. Some people are very smart with mathematics and very dumb with social interaction. And, it's more than a matter of where the intelligence is focused. A lot has to do with the ability to perceive and recognize. And emotional factors can affect one's smarts. I hope future studies take into account all the facets and aspects of intelligence and the full variety of factors that can influence it.

    Cheers,
    jon
    Rate this comment: 12345
    • Why some kids are smarter
      Guest (melissa k.) on 03/30/2006 at 12:00 AM
      Posts:
      1
      Here, here!! There IS a real difference among intelligence(s)...some are great at producing beautiful music which is related to their intelligence...but it is easy to see that all of us aren't great at parties...an intelligence that would indeed be based in the interpersonal intelligence.  We are all gifted in some way, but their are so many environmental factors involved in whether or not these "intelligence(s)" become noticeably part of what makes us particularly smart, and in which way. 
      Rate this comment: 12345
    • However is what is observed the cause or affect?
      Guest (ahinsch@cookaust.com.au) on 03/30/2006 at 12:00 AM
      Posts:
      1
      There is much more to life and fulfillment than just "intelligence" without appropriate application of that trait. However with the research on development and how dendritic connections are made in learning and experience I am curious as to whether the results are the cause of the observed "intelligence" or are as a result of the inate learning and environmental experiences of the individual?
      Rate this comment: 12345
    • follow the data
      Guest (BG.) on 03/30/2006 at 12:00 AM
      Posts:
      1
      There always seems to be a great deal of defensiveness on the part of people who would rather not believe that IQ has a basis in reality. These dramatic results are only the latest to show distinct physiological and anatomical difference between those who score high on IQ tests and those who don't. That's not to say "IQ is all that matters." Nobody's saying that. It's equally absurd to whistle in the dark and act as if IQ is irrelevant; it's not. A high IQ is a nice things to have, and while it doesn't mean you'll also have musical or social skills as well, it most certainly doesn't mean you won't either -- in fact there's a positive correlation among all those traits.

      The key question is: Are there things we can do to help children's brains develop to their fullest (although not necessarily equal) potentials?
      Rate this comment: 12345
    • ability to percieve and recognize
      Guest (joyce) on 04/01/2006 at 12:00 AM
      Posts:
      1
      i work with childrn with diabilities and the ability to percieve and recognize consequences thus intelligence in good judgement can be taught, easier to teach the younger child cause and affect- but there has to be the added discipline of the parent thus the child (and don't be afraid to raise the standards even a learning disabled child) with self discpline modeled by the parents will raise to the occassion.....you are absolutely right about intelligence not being 1 demensional...everything needs to be factored in and the envirnment and diet has impacts.

      later,
      joyce
      Rate this comment: 12345
  • Abt this article
    Guest (Vamshi) on 04/14/2006 at 12:00 AM
    Posts:
    1
    Its an intersting article, n its good to theirs alot of reserch going on "Why we think the way we think", which i always try to solve. And it is very Good that MIT is very much intersted in all these, MIT is a front runner in Technology n Engineering, is also into the Bio part of these, thats nice job.
    Rate this comment: 12345
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