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

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  • 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.

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  • 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
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