AT EINSTEIN's autopsy in1955, his brain was something of a disappointment: it turned out to be a tadsmaller than the average Joe's. Indeed, later studies have suggested a minimallink between brain size and intelligence. It seems brain quality rather thanquantity is key.
在1955年對愛因斯坦的尸檢中诡蜓，他的大腦似乎有點令人失望：原來它比一般人的大腦還要小砾隅。確實储狭，后來的研究也表明熔掺，大腦大小與智力之間的聯(lián)系極小纺荧。似乎大腦品質(zhì)比數(shù)量更為關(guān)鍵旭愧。
One important factorseems to be how well our neurons can talk to each other. Martijn van denHeuvel, a neuroscientist at Utrecht University MedicalCenter in theNetherlands, found that smarterbrains seem to have more efficient networks between neurons - in other words,it takes fewer steps to relay a message between different regions of the brain.That could explain about a third ofthe variation in a population's IQ, he says.
其中一個重要的因素似乎在于，我們的神經(jīng)元互相之間傳遞信息的能力有多強宙暇。荷蘭烏德勒支大學(xué)醫(yī)學(xué)中心神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)科學(xué)家Martijnvan den Heuvel發(fā)現(xiàn)输枯，更聰明的大腦好像神經(jīng)元之間有效的網(wǎng)狀組織更多——也就是說，在大腦不同區(qū)域之間傳播一個信息需要的步驟更少占贫。他說桃熄，這也許可以對人類智商存在大約三分之一的差異作出解釋。
Another key factor isthe insulating fatty sheath encasing neuron fibres, which affects the speed ofelectrical signals. Paul Thompson at the Universityof California, Los Angeles, has found a correlation betweenIQ and the quality of the sheaths (The Journal of Neuroscience, vol 29,p 2212).
另一個關(guān)鍵的因素即圍繞神經(jīng)纖維的隔離脂肪鞘型奥，它能影響電信號的速度瞳收。洛杉磯加利福尼亞大學(xué)的PaulThompson已發(fā)現(xiàn)智商與脂肪鞘品質(zhì)之間的對應(yīng)關(guān)系（見《神經(jīng)科學(xué)雜志》第29冊，2212頁）厢汹。
We still don't knowexactly how much genes contribute to intelligence, with various studies comingup with estimates ranging from 40 to 80 per cent. This wide range of estimatesmight have arisen because genes contribute more to IQ as we get older,according to a study published last year. By comparing the intelligence of11,000 pairs of twins, Robert Plomin of King's College London found that at age9, genes explain 40 per cent of the variation, but by 17 they account forroughly two-thirds (Molecular Psychiatry, DOI:10.1038/mp.2009.55).
盡管有多方面的研究提出螟深，基因?qū)χ橇λ鹱饔谜加?0%到80%不等的估計值比值，我們?nèi)匀徊恢来_切的數(shù)字是多少烫葬。根據(jù)去年公布的一項研究界弧，這一寬泛圍的估計值比值可能會有所上升，因為隨著我們年齡的增長搭综，基因會對智力的作用會越來越大垢箕。通過對11000對雙胞胎智力的比較，倫敦國王學(xué)院的RobertPlomin發(fā)現(xiàn)设凹，9歲的時候舰讹，40%的智力差異源于基因，但到了17歲闪朱，比例大約上升到了2/3（見DOI:10.1038/mp.2009.55網(wǎng)站精神病學(xué)）月匣。
How could that be?Perhaps the genes affect how our brain rewires itself as we mature.Alternatively, they may dictate whether someone is likely to seek outstimulating experiences to help their brain grow and develop. "If we arepredisposed to have a talent, we may actively seek out an environment to suitit," says Thompson.
那將會怎樣？或許奋姿，隨著我們漸漸長大锄开，基因會影響我們的大腦如何進行自身重新連接〕剖或者萍悴，它們可能會決定一個人是否愿意尋找刺激性的體驗來幫助他們的大腦成長和發(fā)育。Thompson說，“如果我們想要擁有才干癣诱，那我們可能就要積極地去尋找一個環(huán)境來配合它的發(fā)展计维。”
注：原文來自外文網(wǎng)站撕予，譯文系筆者原創(chuàng)翻譯鲫惶。
