Childhood Brain Growth a Better Indicator of Intelligence

A new study published in Nature suggests that it may not be the size of a child’s brain that determines intelligence but rather how the brain develops. American and Canadian researchers studied the growth of the cortex through brain scans of 300 children, aged 4–29 months. IQ tests were administered and the probands were categorized as having superior, high, or average intelligence. The researchers found that children with superior intelligence started with thin cortexes that grew rapidly during childhood and thinned out just as quickly during adolescence. The children with average or high intelligence tended to experience a steady, slower growth during childhood and a steady decline throughout adolescence. These findings indicate that although intelligence tends to be a static quality, children with the most dynamic brains appear to be the most intelligent. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v440/n7084/abs/nature04513.html