More Evidence That Intelligence Is Largely Inherited.

[Beorn]

More Evidence That Intelligence Is Largely Inherited: Researchers Find That Genes Determine Brain's Processing Speed



ScienceDaily (Mar. 18, 2009) — They say a picture tells a thousand stories, but can it also tell how smart you are? Actually, say UCLA researchers, it can.

In a study published recently in the Journal of Neuroscience, UCLA neurology professor Paul Thompson and colleagues used a new type of brain-imaging scanner to show that intelligence is strongly influenced by the quality of the brain's axons, or wiring that sends signals throughout the brain. The faster the signalling, the faster the brain processes information. And since the integrity of the brain's wiring is influenced by genes, the genes we inherit play a far greater role in intelligence than was previously thought.

Genes appear to influence intelligence by determining how well nerve axons are encased in myelin — the fatty sheath of "insulation" that coats our axons and allows for fast signalling bursts in our brains. The thicker the myelin, the faster the nerve impulses.
Thompson and his colleagues scanned the brains of 23 sets of identical twins and 23 sets of fraternal twins. Since identical twins share the same genes while fraternal twins share about half their genes, the researchers were able to compare each group to show that myelin integrity was determined genetically in many parts of the brain that are key for intelligence. These include the parietal lobes, which are responsible for spatial reasoning, visual processing and logic, and the corpus callosum, which pulls together information from both sides of the body.

The researchers used a faster version of a type of scanner called a HARDI (high-angular resolution diffusion imaging) — think of an MRI machine on steroids — that takes scans of the brain at a much higher resolution than a standard MRI. While an MRI scan shows the volume of different tissues in the brain by measuring the amount of water present, HARDI tracks how water diffuses through the brain's white matter — a way to measure the quality of its myelin.
"HARDI measures water diffusion," said Thompson, who is also a member of the UCLA Laboratory of Neuro-Imaging. "If the water diffuses rapidly in a specific direction, it tells us that the brain has very fast connections. If it diffuses more broadly, that's an indication of slower signaling, and lower intelligence."

"So it gives us a picture of one's mental speed," he said.
Because the myelination of brain circuits follows an inverted U-shaped trajectory, peaking in middle age and then slowly beginning to decline, Thompson believes identifying the genes that promote high-integrity myelin is critical to forestalling brain diseases like multiple sclerosis and autism, which have been linked to the breakdown of myelin.
"The whole point of this research," Thompson said, "is to give us insight into brain diseases."

He said his team has already narrowed down the number of gene candidates that may influence myelin growth.
And could this someday lead to a therapy that could make us smarter, enhancing our intelligence?
"It's a long way off but within the realm of the possible," Thompson said.

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[Aemma]

Good article BWW! Thanks. As I was reading it I was exactly thinking about the horridly debilitating disease Multiple Sclerosis which seems to affect Northern Europeans the most. Its cause of course is due to the breakdown of the myelin sheath surrounding the nerves. Given the importance of a healty diet and how different our food sources are today, it is no wonder that a disease like Multiple Sclerosis is becoming even more prevalent among our folk.

FriggasSpindle, I wonder if you have any information about what dietary recommendations are out there for people to maintain healthy brain functioning. I know that fish oils are important. Is there anything else that we should consider in our respective diets? Thanks FS!

Thanks again for a great article BWW.

Cheers All!...Aemma

[Frigga]

Well Aemma, I'll answer your question to the best of my ability.

I've done some research, and if you really want to keep your brain functioning well, you actually need something in your diet that is demonized in modern Western culture. Cholesterol. Yep. If I remember correctly, half of your brain is cholesterol, and it is this substance that is in the lining of all of our cells. Cholesterol is actually a very healing agent. The reason I've found out, from listening to lectures by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, that cholesterol is found in damaged arteries, is that the body signals to the liver for cholesterol for healing agents to repair an ulcer in the artery wall. We now hear about LDL and HDL cholesterol, and how one is the good, and the other is the bad. I don't remember which one goes to the liver, and which one goes back. But Dr Natasha said that it's like saying the ambulance that leaves the hospital is the bad one, and the ambulance that goes to the hospital is the good one. Which doesn't make any sense does it? Low cholesterol levels are directly linked to lower brain function. I've noticed it in my 92 year old grandma. When she was on statin drugs, she was more easily confused, and forgot a lot. We got her off of them, and her mental capcity improved.

Now, as far as dietary recommendations, here's what I've learned is good for you, and will keep you healthy:

Raw milk, if you can tolerate it. Not everyone can, but more can than you think.
Pastured eggs if you can get them.
Grassfed, pastured meat, any type, beef, lamb, pork, chicken, you get the idea.
Wild caught fish, like salmon, and tuna
Shell fish
High quality butter, preferably raw
Virgin coconut oil
Cod liver oil (Now it's important to get the proper vitamin A to D ratio. Green Pastures is the best you can get)
Liver
Grains and Legumes you prepare yourself, soaked
High quality fruits and vegetables

You do need animal protien, and most importantly, the fat. The ancients prized the fat of animals above all of the rest of the animal for good reason.

Foods to avoid:
Artifical sweeteners (they're POISON!!)
High fructose corn syrup
Commercially prepared cold boxed cereals. The protiens are destroyed by processing
All modernly prepared soy foods, like soy milk, soy protien isolate, etc
Confinement animal products, with drugs and hormones

Here are some webpages of interest:

http://westonaprice.org/moderndiseas...s_cholest.html

http://westonaprice.org/moderndiseases/statin.html

http://westonaprice.org/moderndiseases/hd.html

http://westonaprice.org/children/autism.html

http://www.westonaprice.org/causticc.../cc2004su.html

http://thewholesoystory.com

http://www.greenpastures.org

Let me know if you guys want more information!!