A professor at the University of California, Paul Thompson, along with colleagues recently conducted research supporting the theory that our intelligence is largely determined by our genetic makeup.
Before his research had been conducted, it had been previously shown that the grey matter in the brain (which is made up of “processor” cells) and the white matter (which provides a connection between these processor cells) were heritable traits and therefore correlated to our IQ.
Thompson used a magnetic resonance imaging technique called HARDI to scan the brains of 46 sets of twins (both identical and fraternal) in order to measure the speed of nerve impulses. This is done by measuring the amount of water that diffuses through the white matter in the brain and therefore is a measure for the integrity of myelin sheathing which encases these connections.
When the images produced from the MRI scans where compared, Thompson was able to confirm that the integrity of the myelin sheath was genetically determined in the areas of the brain which are considered important for intelligence.
The revolutionary discovery through this research is that we have now found a way to genetically modify a person’s intelligence. This main manipulation would occur in the myelin and would be achieved by altering the brain's biochemistry in order to produce the desired effect of a higher IQ.
Once the genes that promote myelin of a high-quality are identified and isolated, it could lead to providing relief for people suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS), autism and attention deficit disorder (ADD) which have all been associated with a myelin sheathing of low-integrity. As well as this, it would provide the possibility of enhancing ones intelligence in order to achieve higher results throughout their education.
However, these types of treatments are still a long way off because there are still a lot of interactions that need to be “disentangled” explained Naomi Friedman (a behavioural geneticist at the University of Colorado)
By Bridget Debattista
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126993.300-highspeed-brains-are-in-the-genes.html
