Meta-analysis of associations between human brain volume and intelligence differences: How strong are they and what do they mean?

Pietschnig, Jakob; Penke, Lars; Wicherts, Jelte M.; Zeiler, Michael D.; Voracek, Martin

doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.09.017

Cited by 295 publications

(265 citation statements)

References 153 publications

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“…It should be noted that in these analyses, LGI accounted for 12% of the variation of g in the NIMH sample and 6% in the PNC sample, and although these findings are of similar magnitude to prior reports of associations of other brain measures with intelligence [3], a considerable proportion of the variance of g remains unaccounted for. There are likely many factors contributing to individual cognitive ability, including genetic predisposition, education, early-life environment, prenatal nutrition, and others.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 73%

“…Since global brain gyrification has been shown to be significantly correlated with total brain volume (TBV)[2, 3], and prior analyses have suggested that correlations between GI and g may be driven by TBV [11], we examined the influence of TBV on the regional pattern of associations between LGI and g by repeating the analysis while adding TBV to the control variables age and sex used above (Figure 2). In the NIMH sample of healthy adults, the regional pattern of associations remained relatively unchanged (R 2 =0.85, DSC=0.73 comparing statistical maps using the equally-weighted composite after controlling for age and sex; or for age, sex, and TBV).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Brain gyrification, or folding of the cortex, is as highly-evolved and variable a characteristic in humans as is intelligence. Indeed, gyrification scales with brain size, and relationships between brain size and intelligence have been demonstrated in humans [1-3]. However, gyrification shows a large degree of variability that is independent from brain size [4-6], suggesting that the former may independently contribute to cognitive abilities, and thus supporting a direct investigation of this parameter in the context of intelligence.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Regional Variations in Brain Gyrification Are Associated with General Cognitive Ability in Humans

et al. 2016

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Summary Searching for a neurobiological understanding of human intellectual capabilities has long occupied those very capabilities. Brain gyrification, or folding of the cortex, is as highly-evolved and variable a characteristic in humans as is intelligence. Indeed, gyrification scales with brain size, and relationships between brain size and intelligence have been demonstrated in humans [1-3]. However, gyrification shows a large degree of variability that is independent from brain size [4-6], suggesting that the former may independently contribute to cognitive abilities, and thus supporting a direct investigation of this parameter in the context of intelligence. Moreover, uncovering the regional pattern of such an association could offer insights into evolutionary and neural mechanisms. We tested for this brain-behavior relationship in two separate, independently-collected, large cohorts: 440 healthy adults and 662 healthy children, using high-resolution structural neuroimaging and comprehensive neuropsychometric batteries. In both samples, general cognitive ability was significantly associated (pfdr<0.01) with increasing gyrification in a network of neocortical regions, including large portions of the prefrontal cortex, inferior parietal lobule, and temporoparietal junction, as well as the insula, cingulate cortex, and fusiform gyrus, a regional distribution that was nearly identical in both samples (Dice similarity coefficient=0.80). This neuroanatomical pattern is consistent with an existing, well-known proposal, the Parieto-Frontal Integration Theory of Intelligence [7], and is also consistent with research in comparative evolutionary biology showing rapid neocortical expansion of these regions in humans relative to other species. These data provide a framework for understanding the neurobiology of human cognitive abilities, and suggest a potential neurocellular association.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 73%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Regional Variations in Brain Gyrification Are Associated with General Cognitive Ability in Humans

et al. 2016

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“…We cannot generalize our results to women and to other age groups. However, a meta-analysis indicated that the brain size-GCA associations are evident both in men and women and in children and in adults (Pietschnig et al 2015). Moreover, studies have indicated positive height-GCA associations both in men and women and across the lifespan (Humphreys et al 1985; Harris et al 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Brain structure mediates the association between height and cognitive ability

et al. 2018

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Height and general cognitive ability are positively associated, but the underlying mechanisms of this relationship are not well understood. Both height and general cognitive ability are positively associated with brain size. Still, the neural substrate of the height-cognitive ability association is unclear. We used a sample of 515 middle-aged male twins with structural magnetic resonance imaging data to investigate whether the association between height and cognitive ability is mediated by cortical size. In addition to cortical volume, we used genetically, ontogenetically and phylogenetically distinct cortical metrics of total cortical surface area and mean cortical thickness. Height was positively associated with general cognitive ability and total cortical volume and cortical surface area, but not with mean cortical thickness. Mediation models indicated that the well-replicated height-general cognitive ability association is accounted for by individual differences in total cortical volume and cortical surface area (highly heritable metrics related to global brain size), and that the genetic association between cortical surface area and general cognitive ability underlies the phenotypic height-general cognitive ability relationship.

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“…Each GLM included FreeSurfer’s estimate of total intracranial volume (ICV) as a covariate of no interest, as well as age and a dummy-coded sex term. ICV was included because prior studies have found global gyrification is correlated with total brain volume (Conners, 2005) and has relationships with various cognitive abilities and sex (Pietschnig et al, 2015). The age and sex terms both accounted for variance related to these effects and allowed us to test age- or sex-interaction effects with each cognitive measure.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adolescent maturation of the relationship between cortical gyrification and cognitive ability

2017

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There are changes to the degree of cortical folding from gestation through adolescence into young adulthood. Recent evidence suggests that degree of cortical folding is linked to individual differences in general cognitive ability in healthy adults. However, it is not yet known whether age-related cortical folding changes are related to maturation of specific cognitive abilities in adolescence. To address this, we examined the relationship between frontoparietal cortical folding as measured by a Freesurfer-derived local gyrification index (lGI) and performance on subtests from the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence and scores from Conner’s Continuous Performance Test-II in 241 healthy adolescents (ages 12–25 years). We hypothesized that age-related lGI changes in the frontoparietal cortex would contribute to cognitive development. A secondary goal was to explore if any gyrification-cognition relationships were either test-specific or sex-specific. Consistent with previous studies, our results showed a reduction of frontoparietal local gyrification with age. Also, as predicted, all cognitive test scores (i.e., Vocabulary, Matrix Reasoning, the CPT-II Commission, Omission, Variabiltiy, d’) showed age × cognitive ability interaction effects in frontoparietal and temporoparietal brain regions. Mediation analyses confirmed a causal role of age-related cortical folding changes only for CPT-II Commission errors. Taken together, the results support the functional significance of cortical folding, as well as provide the first evidence that cortical folding maturational changes play a role in cognitive development.

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Meta-analysis of associations between human brain volume and intelligence differences: How strong are they and what do they mean?

Cited by 295 publications

References 153 publications

Regional Variations in Brain Gyrification Are Associated with General Cognitive Ability in Humans

Regional Variations in Brain Gyrification Are Associated with General Cognitive Ability in Humans

Brain structure mediates the association between height and cognitive ability

Adolescent maturation of the relationship between cortical gyrification and cognitive ability

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