Goriounova Natalia A, Mansvelder Huibert D
Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Amsterdam, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Front Hum Neurosci. 2019 Feb 15;13:44. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00044. eCollection 2019.
What is the neurobiological basis of human intelligence? The brains of some people seem to be more efficient than those of others. Understanding the biological foundations of these differences is of great interest to basic and applied neuroscience. Somehow, the secret must lie in the cells in our brain with which we think. However, at present, research into the neurobiology of intelligence is divided between two main strategies: brain imaging studies investigate macroscopic brain structure and function to identify brain areas involved in intelligence, while genetic associations studies aim to pinpoint genes and genetic loci associated with intelligence. Nothing is known about how properties of brain cells relate to intelligence. The emergence of transcriptomics and cellular neuroscience of intelligence might, however, provide a third strategy and bridge the gap between identified genes for intelligence and brain function and structure. Here, we discuss the latest developments in the search for the biological basis of intelligence. In particular, the recent availability of very large cohorts with hundreds of thousands of individuals have propelled exciting developments in the genetics of intelligence. Furthermore, we discuss the first studies that show that specific populations of brain cells associate with intelligence. Finally, we highlight how specific genes that have been identified generate cellular properties associated with intelligence and may ultimately explain structure and function of the brain areas involved. Thereby, the road is paved for a cellular understanding of intelligence, which will provide a conceptual scaffold for understanding how the constellation of identified genes benefit cellular functions that support intelligence.
人类智力的神经生物学基础是什么？有些人的大脑似乎比其他人的更高效。理解这些差异的生物学基础是基础神经科学和应用神经科学非常感兴趣的。不知何故，秘密肯定存在于我们用来思考的大脑细胞中。然而，目前对智力神经生物学的研究分为两种主要策略：脑成像研究调查宏观大脑结构和功能，以确定与智力相关的脑区，而基因关联研究旨在找出与智力相关的基因和基因位点。关于脑细胞特性与智力之间的关系，我们一无所知。然而，转录组学和智力细胞神经科学的出现可能会提供第三种策略，并弥合已确定的智力基因与脑功能和结构之间的差距。在这里，我们讨论在寻找智力生物学基础方面的最新进展。特别是，最近拥有数十万个体的超大型队列的出现推动了智力遗传学方面令人兴奋的发展。此外，我们讨论了第一批表明特定脑细胞群体与智力相关的研究。最后，我们强调已确定的特定基因如何产生与智力相关的细胞特性，并最终可能解释所涉及脑区的结构和功能。由此，为从细胞层面理解智力铺平了道路，这将为理解已确定的基因组合如何有益于支持智力的细胞功能提供一个概念框架。
