Research results show that brain activity in early childhood can predict IQ at age 18



The human brain is active even when it is not performing complex cognitive tasks, and brain activity at such times is called '

resting brain activity '. A new study on such resting brain activity and children's cognitive development showed that `` resting brain activity in early childhood can predict IQ at the age of 18 ''.

Resting brain activity in early childhood predicts IQ at 18 years - ScienceDirect
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878929323000920



Brain Activity as a Toddler May Predict IQ at Age 18, Decades-Long Study Finds : ScienceAlert
https://www.sciencealert.com/brain-activity-as-a-toddler-may-predict-iq-at-age-18-decades-long-study-finds

New study finds theta brainwave activity in childhood predicts IQ at age 18
https://www.psypost.org/2023/08/new-study-finds-theta-brainwave-activity-in-childhood-predicts-iq-at-age-18-168068

The first few years after a human being is born are the earliest stages of brain development, and the environment in which a child is placed during that period is thought to have a significant impact on brain development. Although resting brain activity in humans is thought to be relatively stable in adulthood, it is not well understood how resting brain activity develops during infancy and how it affects cognitive function later in life. not.

Therefore, an international research team in the United States and Germany tracked the development of children's cognitive abilities using data from a study called the Bucharest Early Intervention Project (Bucharest Early Intervention Project) conducted in Romania.

The Bucharest Early Intervention Project is a research project conducted in Romania by an American university and others. The aim was to find out potential benefits and more. The project started around 2000, and the developmental stages of the subject children were tracked from infancy to adulthood, and the relationship between brain activity in early childhood and later cognitive development was investigated.

Previous studies have shown that children raised in foster care have higher IQs at growth and age 18 than those raised in foster homes all the time. In addition, it is suggested that the earlier the foster parents were, the higher the IQ improved, suggesting that the growing environment may affect IQ.



In this study, a total of 202 children who were raised in foster homes, children who were raised by foster parents, and children who were raised at home without ever entering an institution were examined. The relationship between resting brain activity and IQ later in life was investigated.

Resting brain activity was measured while children were watching a rotating bingo wheel, and recorded at three time points: around 20 months old (baseline), 30 months old, and 42 months old. In addition, the subject's IQ was measured at baseline, 30 months after birth, 42 months after birth, and at the age of 18.

As a result of the research team's analysis of resting brain activity in early childhood and IQ at 18 years old, it was found that resting brain activity in early childhood can predict IQ at 18 years old. Specifically, it is reported that the amount of

theta waves with a frequency of 4 Hz to 8 Hz in resting brain activity at baseline, 30 months old, and 42 months old was significantly correlated with IQ at the age of 18.

Theta waves are relatively low-frequency brain waves, and past studies have shown that they are sensitive to environmental factors such as poverty and social disadvantage. However, this study is the first to link theta waves in early childhood to cognitive function in young adults.



Theta waves are thought to be

related to brain activity such as wakefulness, sleep, and memory, as well as pruning of unnecessary neural connections ( synaptic pruning ). Synaptic pruning improves efficiency when tackling mental tasks and is an important step in refining children's cognitive development.

The study's lead author, Enda Tan , a neuroscientist at the University of Maryland, said that the fact that resting brain activity predicted cognitive function over 14 years later was surprising given the many factors experienced during that time. It points out that.

'Our findings suggest that early individual differences in resting brain activity may be related to IQ in adulthood,' Tan said. 'We also provide evidence that institutional care and foster care interventions influenced resting brain activity early in life, which predicted cognitive outcomes into adulthood.'



in Science, Posted by log1h_ik