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Open Access 01-01-2018 | Original Article

The corpus callosum as anatomical marker of intelligence? A critical examination in a large-scale developmental study

Authors: René Westerhausen, Charline-Marie Friesen, Darius A. Rohani, Stine K. Krogsrud, Christian K. Tamnes, Jon S. Skranes, Asta K. Håberg, Anders M. Fjell, Kristine B. Walhovd

Published in: Brain Structure and Function | Issue 1/2018

Abstract

Intellectual abilities are supported by a large-scale fronto-parietal brain network distributed across both cerebral hemispheres. This bihemispheric network suggests a functional relevance of inter-hemispheric coordination, a notion which is supported by a series of recent structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies demonstrating correlations between intelligence scores (IQ) and corpus-callosum anatomy. However, these studies also reveal an age-related dissociation: mostly positive associations are reported in adult samples, while negative associations are found in developing samples. In the present study, we re-examine the association between corpus callosum and intelligence measures in a large (734 datasets from 495 participants) developmental mixed cross-sectional and longitudinal sample (6.4–21.9 years) using raw test scores rather than deviation IQ measures to account for the ongoing cognitive development in this age period. Analyzing mid-sagittal measures of regional callosal thickness, a positive association in the splenium of the corpus callosum was found for both verbal and performance raw test scores. This association was not present when the participants’ age was considered in the analysis. Thus, we did not reveal any association that cannot be explained by a temporal co-occurrence of overall developmental trends in intellectual abilities and corpus callosum maturation in the present developing sample.

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Title: The corpus callosum as anatomical marker of intelligence? A critical examination in a large-scale developmental study
Authors: René Westerhausen
Charline-Marie Friesen
Darius A. Rohani
Stine K. Krogsrud
Christian K. Tamnes
Jon S. Skranes
Asta K. Håberg
Anders M. Fjell
Kristine B. Walhovd
Publication date: 01-01-2018
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in: Brain Structure and Function / Issue 1/2018
Print ISSN: 1863-2653
Electronic ISSN: 1863-2661
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-017-1493-0

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The corpus callosum as anatomical marker of intelligence? A critical examination in a large-scale developmental study

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