74 This was attempted by Choi et al75 using structural (cortical thickness) and functional magnetic resonance imaging. Their regression model explained 50% of the variance in IQ scores. Even when this figure may be questioned on several grounds, the main approach underscores that brain images might be employed for estimating intelligence levels in some instances using a neurometric approach. Finally, experimental confirmatory approaches should be welcomed to increase refinement of ongoing research Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical efforts. In this regard, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) may help test hypotheses aimed at determining whether or not specific
brain regions are really important for understanding individual differences in human intelligence. TMS induces transient changes in brain activity noninvasively. It does this by producing changes in a magnetic field that, in turn, evoke electric currents in the brain which promote depolarization of cellular membranes. Cognitive neuroscience often relies on a correlation approach, whereas TMS allows Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical studying (almost) causal brain-behavior
relationships in higher cognitive functions.76,77 The study reported by Aleman and van’t Wout78 exemplifies this approach using a working memory task (forward and backward digit span). Working memory (and intelligence) performance is partially supported by the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Using Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical repetitive TMS (rTMS) – adapted in the Hz band for suppressing cognitive processing – over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a significant decrease of performance in the forward and backward digit span test was found. Thus, regional suppression (or enhancement) might be produced to experimentally test specific predictions. Conclusion Regardless of the use of exploratory (correlation) or confirmatory (experimental) approaches,
we do agree with Kennedy79: “as with more _eras’, it is the Sapitinib ic50 underlying technology Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical that makes the era possible [...] new advances in acquisition, analysis, databasing, modeling, and sharing will continue to be necessary.” This is especially true for analyzing human intelligence because this psychological factor is undoubtedly rooted in widely distributed Carnitine dehydrogenase regions in the brain. Frontal and parietal lobes likely comprise crucial processing areas for intelligence, but integrity of hard connections across the entire brain or spontaneous harmonic coactivation among distant regions appear also to be relevant. Creating a comprehensive picture for what can be called “neuro-intelligence”80 should prove as challenging as it is exciting. Acknowledgments RC was partly supported by grant PSI2010-20364 from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Spain).
Understanding how the brain functions requires both a detailed comprehension of its anatomical organization and of the properties of neurons and their communications.