IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/intell/v86y2021ics0160289621000246.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Is there a “g-neuron”? Establishing a systematic link between general intelligence (g) and the von Economo neuron

Author

Listed:
  • Bruton, Oliver J.

Abstract

The construct of general intelligence (g) is one of psychology’s most replicated and predictively useful constructs. Although research indicates that g is a highly heritable trait, deeply rooted in brain physiology, to date neither a strong biological correlate nor a comprehensive explanatory model involving neuronal mechanisms have been established. In this article I aim to do so by hypothesising that the von Economo neuron (VEN), a unique nerve cell thus far implicated in social cognition and interoception, may in fact represent a central biological constituent of g. After presenting supportive evidence from neuroscience, psychiatry/neurology, clinical gerontology, and comparative psychology, an integrated reductionist framework is outlined, which reaches from the level of cognitive theory to the level of single neurons. Based thereon, it is concluded that the VENs might contribute to individual differences in g by rapidly inducing the coherence of neuronal oscillations within a functionally invariant parieto-frontal network underlying higher-order cognition, thereby facilitating mental efficiency.

Suggested Citation

  • Bruton, Oliver J., 2021. "Is there a “g-neuron”? Establishing a systematic link between general intelligence (g) and the von Economo neuron," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:intell:v:86:y:2021:i:c:s0160289621000246
    DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2021.101540
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160289621000246
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.intell.2021.101540?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Karpinski, Ruth I. & Kinase Kolb, Audrey M. & Tetreault, Nicole A. & Borowski, Thomas B., 2018. "High intelligence: A risk factor for psychological and physiological overexcitabilities," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 8-23.
    2. Gągol, A. & Magnuski, M. & Kroczek, B. & Kałamała, P. & Ociepka, M. & Santarnecchi, E. & Chuderski, A., 2018. "Delta-gamma coupling as a potential neurophysiological mechanism of fluid intelligence," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 54-63.
    3. Cox, S.R. & Ritchie, S.J. & Fawns-Ritchie, C. & Tucker-Drob, E.M. & Deary, I.J., 2019. "Structural brain imaging correlates of general intelligence in UK Biobank," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 1-1.
    4. Min Wang & Nao J. Gamo & Yang Yang & Lu E. Jin & Xiao-Jing Wang & Mark Laubach & James A. Mazer & Daeyeol Lee & Amy F. T. Arnsten, 2011. "Neuronal basis of age-related working memory decline," Nature, Nature, vol. 476(7359), pages 210-213, August.
    5. Cox, S.R. & Ritchie, S.J. & Fawns-Ritchie, C. & Tucker-Drob, E.M. & Deary, I.J., 2019. "Structural brain imaging correlates of general intelligence in UK Biobank," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    6. Caemmerer, Jacqueline M. & Keith, Timothy Z. & Reynolds, Matthew R., 2020. "Beyond individual intelligence tests: Application of Cattell-Horn-Carroll Theory," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    7. Paul T E Cusack, 2020. "The Human Brain," Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research, Biomedical Research Network+, LLC, vol. 31(3), pages 24261-24266, October.
    8. Harrington, Karra D. & Dang, Christa & Lim, Yen Ying & Ames, David & Laws, Simon M. & Pietrzak, Robert H. & Rainey-Smith, Stephanie & Robertson, Joanne & Rowe, Christopher C. & Salvado, Olivier & Vill, 2018. "The effect of preclinical Alzheimer's disease on age-related changes in intelligence in cognitively normal older adults," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 22-29.
    9. Gignac, Gilles E. & Bates, Timothy C., 2017. "Brain volume and intelligence: The moderating role of intelligence measurement quality," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 18-29.
    10. David C. Van Essen, 1997. "A tension-based theory of morphogenesis and compact wiring in the central nervous system," Nature, Nature, vol. 385(6614), pages 313-318, January.
    11. Michael C Gao & Ursula Bellugi & Li Dai & Debra L Mills & Eric M Sobel & Kenneth Lange & Julie R Korenberg, 2010. "Intelligence in Williams Syndrome Is Related to STX1A, Which Encodes a Component of the Presynaptic SNARE Complex," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 5(4), pages 1-8, April.
    12. Santarnecchi, Emiliano & Emmendorfer, Alexandra & Pascual-Leone, Alvaro, 2017. "Dissecting the parieto-frontal correlates of fluid intelligence: A comprehensive ALE meta-analysis study," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 9-28.
    13. Shi Gu & Fabio Pasqualetti & Matthew Cieslak & Qawi K. Telesford & Alfred B. Yu & Ari E. Kahn & John D. Medaglia & Jean M. Vettel & Michael B. Miller & Scott T. Grafton & Danielle S. Bassett, 2015. "Controllability of structural brain networks," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 6(1), pages 1-10, December.
    14. Pahor, Anja & Jaušovec, Norbert, 2017. "Multifaceted pattern of neural efficiency in working memory capacity," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 23-34.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Demetriou, Andreas & Golino, Hudson & Spanoudis, George & Makris, Nikolaos & Greiff, Samuel, 2021. "The future of intelligence: The central meaning-making unit of intelligence in the mind, the brain, and artificial intelligence," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Hilger, Kirsten & Spinath, Frank M. & Troche, Stefan & Schubert, Anna-Lena, 2022. "The biological basis of intelligence: Benchmark findings," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    2. Vieira, Bruno Hebling & Pamplona, Gustavo Santo Pedro & Fachinello, Karim & Silva, Alice Kamensek & Foss, Maria Paula & Salmon, Carlos Ernesto Garrido, 2022. "On the prediction of human intelligence from neuroimaging: A systematic review of methods and reporting," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    3. Ociepka, Michał & Kałamała, Patrycja & Chuderski, Adam, 2022. "High individual alpha frequency brains run fast, but it does not make them smart," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    4. Danni A. Gadd & Robert F. Hillary & Daniel L. McCartney & Liu Shi & Aleks Stolicyn & Neil A. Robertson & Rosie M. Walker & Robert I. McGeachan & Archie Campbell & Shen Xueyi & Miruna C. Barbu & Claire, 2022. "Integrated methylome and phenome study of the circulating proteome reveals markers pertinent to brain health," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-14, December.
    5. Zurrin, Riley & Wong, Samantha Tze Sum & Roes, Meighen M. & Percival, Chantal M. & Chinchani, Abhijit & Arreaza, Leo & Kusi, Mavis & Momeni, Ava & Rasheed, Maiya & Mo, Zhaoyi & Goghari, Vina M. & Wood, 2024. "Functional brain networks involved in the Raven's standard progressive matrices task and their relation to theories of fluid intelligence," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    6. de Souza, Erick Almeida & Silva, Stéphanie Andrade & Vieira, Bruno Hebling & Salmon, Carlos Ernesto Garrido, 2023. "fMRI functional connectivity is a better predictor of general intelligence than cortical morphometric features and ICA parcellation order affects predictive performance," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    7. Euler, Matthew J. & Schubert, Anna-Lena, 2021. "Recent developments, current challenges, and future directions in electrophysiological approaches to studying intelligence," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    8. Ünal, Zehra E. & Kartal, Gamze & Ulusoy, Serra & Ala, Aslı M. & Yilmaz, Munube & Geary, David C., 2023. "Relative contributions of g and basic domain-specific mathematics skills to complex mathematics competencies," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    9. Cornoldi, Cesare & Giofrè, David & Toffalini, Enrico, 2023. "Cognitive characteristics of intellectually gifted children with a diagnosis of ADHD," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    10. Guez, Ava & Peyre, Hugo & Le Cam, Marion & Gauvrit, Nicolas & Ramus, Franck, 2018. "Are high-IQ students more at risk of school failure?," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 32-40.
    11. Maria Isabel García-Planas & Maria Victoria García-Camba, 2022. "Controllability of Brain Neural Networks in Learning Disorders—A Geometric Approach," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-13, January.
    12. Abigail B. Schneider & Bridget Leonard, 2022. "From anxiety to control: Mask‐wearing, perceived marketplace influence, and emotional well‐being during the COVID‐19 pandemic," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(1), pages 97-119, March.
    13. Odelaisy León-Triana & Julián Pérez-Beteta & David Albillo & Ana Ortiz de Mendivil & Luis Pérez-Romasanta & Elisabet González-Del Portillo & Manuel Llorente & Natalia Carballo & Estanislao Arana & Víc, 2021. "Brain Metastasis Response to Stereotactic Radio Surgery: A Mathematical Approach," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 9(7), pages 1-19, March.
    14. Mirren Charnley & Saba Islam & Guneet K. Bindra & Jeremy Engwirda & Julian Ratcliffe & Jiangtao Zhou & Raffaele Mezzenga & Mark D. Hulett & Kyunghoon Han & Joshua T. Berryman & Nicholas P. Reynolds, 2022. "Neurotoxic amyloidogenic peptides in the proteome of SARS-COV2: potential implications for neurological symptoms in COVID-19," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
    15. Ashish Raj & Yu-hsien Chen, 2011. "The Wiring Economy Principle: Connectivity Determines Anatomy in the Human Brain," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(9), pages 1-11, September.
    16. Hamed Nili & Alexander Walther & Arjen Alink & Nikolaus Kriegeskorte, 2020. "Inferring exemplar discriminability in brain representations," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(6), pages 1-28, June.
    17. Simone Balestra & Aurélien Sallin & Stefan C. Wolter, 2023. "High-Ability Influencers? The Heterogeneous Effects of Gifted Classmates," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 58(2), pages 633-665.
    18. Gągol, A. & Magnuski, M. & Kroczek, B. & Kałamała, P. & Ociepka, M. & Santarnecchi, E. & Chuderski, A., 2018. "Delta-gamma coupling as a potential neurophysiological mechanism of fluid intelligence," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 54-63.
    19. Linzmajer, Marc & Hubert, Mirja & Hubert, Marco, 2021. "It’s about the process, not the result: An fMRI approach to explore the encoding of explicit and implicit price information," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    20. Natalie J Shook & Barış Sevi & Jerin Lee & Benjamin Oosterhoff & Holly N Fitzgerald, 2020. "Disease avoidance in the time of COVID-19: The behavioral immune system is associated with concern and preventative health behaviors," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(8), pages 1-15, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:intell:v:86:y:2021:i:c:s0160289621000246. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/intelligence .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.