Better less, yes better

There were fewer connections between neurons in the brains of smart people

Alexey Yevglevsky, Naked Science

The scientific work, which brought together specialists from the University of New Mexico and Humboldt University of Berlin, revealed an unusual pattern: people with a high IQ have fewer connections in the cerebral cortex.

Neurophysiologists analyzed the brains of volunteers from two groups. The first consisted of 259 people aged 18 to 40 years, the second – 498, their age ranged from 22 to 36 years. The analysis of the morphology of neurons was carried out using diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This non-invasive method allowed scientists to measure the number of dendrites in the cerebral cortex. All participants also passed an IQ test. Scientists compared the results of two measurements and came to the conclusion that people with a higher IQ score have fewer connections between neurons in the cortex.

Dendritic density in gray matter / Nature

Dr. Erhan Genç, who participated in the work, commented as follows discovery: "Previous studies have suggested that larger brains contain more neurons and connections, hence have more computing power. We have demonstrated that the brains of intellectuals have, though meager, but extremely effective neural connections. So, they show high mental performance with low activity of neurons."

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