Unlocking Intelligence: How Genes Shape Your Brain’s Speed

Genetic Blueprint for Cognition

Why do some people process information rapidly while others need more time? Is it solely about self-improvement, memory training, and environment? Not necessarily. A groundbreaking study by Chinese scientists sheds new light on this: intelligence and genes.

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences recently revealed new data that could revolutionize our understanding of intelligence. Their studies indicate our brains operate most efficiently in a state of “criticality.” This dynamic balance between neuronal excitation and inhibition not only supports cognitive processes but also appears to be hereditary.

The Brain: Balancing on the Edge of Order and Chaos

Professors Ning Liu and Shan Yu analyzed data from the Human Connectome Project, utilizing hundreds of brain scans from both identical and fraternal twins, as well as unrelated individuals. This comprehensive approach helped them separate the influence of genes from environmental factors.

What’s the most significant conclusion? The ability to maintain this “criticality” has strong genetic foundations. This is particularly true for primary brain regions responsible for senses like sight, hearing, and touch. In these areas, neuronal activity is most stable, making genetic influence most evident. So, what does this imply?

“Maintaining criticality is crucial for brain function. Discovering its genetic basis opens new possibilities in research on intelligence and neurological diseases,” states Professor Liu in Science Daily.

This breakthrough extends beyond neurobiology. Since key cognitive processes may be inherited, we gain new tools to understand and treat conditions such as:

• Depression
• Autism
• ADHD
• Alzheimer’s disease

The researchers identified specific gene expression profiles that account for regional brain activity. By combining brain imaging with genetic maps from the Human Brain Atlas, they successfully pinpointed where and how intelligence “originates.”

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Intelligence and Genes: What Does This Mean for You?

This discovery can help in:

• Better understanding the origins of our rapid learning ability.
• Developing neurological therapies tailored to genetic profiles.
• Predicting the risk of cognitive disorders and enabling early diagnosis.
• Pioneering new approaches to education and neuro-training, aligned with an individual’s “brain code.”

How we think may be hardwired from birth. The genetic capacity to “maintain balance” in the brain proves crucial for intelligence, potentially becoming a key to revolutionizing future neurotherapies.

Read the original article: Inteligencja w genach. Naukowcy odkryli, czemu myślisz szybciej