1 Citation 577 Views 142 Downloads
It is generally assumed that human intelligence relies on efficient
processing by neurons in our brain. Although gray matter thickness and
activity of temporal and frontal cortical areas correlate with IQ scores,
no direct evidence exists that links structural and physiological
properties of neurons to human intelligence. Here, we find that high IQ
scores and large temporal cortical thickness associate with larger, more
complex dendrites of human pyramidal neurons. We show in silico that
larger dendritic trees enable pyramidal neurons to track activity of
synaptic inputs with higher temporal precision, due to fast action
potential kinetics. Indeed, we find that human pyramidal neurons of
individuals with higher IQ scores sustain fast action potential kinetics
during repeated firing. These findings provide the first evidence that
human intelligence is associated with neuronal complexity, action
potential kinetics and efficient information transfer from input s to
output within cortical neurons.
577 views reported since publication in 2018.