Malinatar
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Brain Science - Poor Kids Have Smaller Brains
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hodj
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Yeah brain size alone doesn't necessarily indicate anything, even smaller sections from one person to another are probably well within the acceptable ranges.
Its partially about brain size in comparison to body weight.
Not saying these findings aren't legit, in fact they probably are. And its probably related to malnutrition and a lack of access to proper amounts of fatty acids for brain development.
And poverty certainly does tend to have strong physiological impacts throughout the course of a person's life.
I'll have to check into this article, though, it looks really interesting. Good find OP.
Its partially about brain size in comparison to body weight.
Not saying these findings aren't legit, in fact they probably are. And its probably related to malnutrition and a lack of access to proper amounts of fatty acids for brain development.
And poverty certainly does tend to have strong physiological impacts throughout the course of a person's life.
I'll have to check into this article, though, it looks really interesting. Good find OP.
hodj
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I don't have a neurology background to say with any certainty, but when paleoanthropologists and the like are looking at skull size and brain size and whatnot in past and present populations, its more about brain mass to body weight that helps determine overall intelligence in a population.
Its a good question for someone with more experience in studying the brain, though.
Its a good question for someone with more experience in studying the brain, though.
ZyyzYzzy
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No real correlation between brain size (on that scale) and intelligence. Connections and how numerous are more important
ZyyzYzzy
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Tripamang
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From what I've read intelligence is generally driven by how the brain is wired internally and not it's size. So the more internal connections between neurons and the better they're insulated, the higher the individuals intelligence is. They've done genetic alterations to mice to increase Myelin production (material that protects the connections) by introducing modified tissue into the mouses brain and saw a four times increase in their memory. Kind of frankenstein shit but it's definitely interesting, and if Myelin ends up being the key to intelligence there might be future pills/genetic modifications that could improve it.
The smart mouse with the half-human brain - health - 01 December 2014 - New Scientist
The smart mouse with the half-human brain - health - 01 December 2014 - New Scientist
iannis
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Yeah, but there's got to be a tradeoff in there somewhere.
Myelin will sheath and protect the axon and speed transmission along the membrane while reinforcing it. I'm hardly an expert, it's only a guess that there is a good reason (as opposed to one of those evolutionary "whatevs, good enough") that we have grey matter and white matter and that they are in the places they are. My guess is that forgoing the myelin is worth the tradeoff in a long enough term. It may be more advantageous to throw another axon down that potential space than it is to insulate two. Also remember that Myelin is produced by a specific, specialized cell body, (neurons don't produce their own... I forget the name of the myelin cell) and that body does not cross-function as a neuron. It may be that the CSF composition which you would need to maintain a fully myelinated brain isn't worth the effort it takes to build it. Basically you're talking about the inter relations between surface area, volume, and efficiency. With a dense enough pack, the benefits of myelinating brain tissues may be vanishing and there may actually be an advantage in errant signaling in a dense pack. That might be one of the mechanisms of what we call intuition.
Myelin will sheath and protect the axon and speed transmission along the membrane while reinforcing it. I'm hardly an expert, it's only a guess that there is a good reason (as opposed to one of those evolutionary "whatevs, good enough") that we have grey matter and white matter and that they are in the places they are. My guess is that forgoing the myelin is worth the tradeoff in a long enough term. It may be more advantageous to throw another axon down that potential space than it is to insulate two. Also remember that Myelin is produced by a specific, specialized cell body, (neurons don't produce their own... I forget the name of the myelin cell) and that body does not cross-function as a neuron. It may be that the CSF composition which you would need to maintain a fully myelinated brain isn't worth the effort it takes to build it. Basically you're talking about the inter relations between surface area, volume, and efficiency. With a dense enough pack, the benefits of myelinating brain tissues may be vanishing and there may actually be an advantage in errant signaling in a dense pack. That might be one of the mechanisms of what we call intuition.
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