The discussion about whether genius is a byproduct of good genes or good environment may take an entirely new direction, say Canadian researchers who contend that hormonal influences in the womb may play an important role in creating intellectually gifted individuals.
University of Alberta researcher Marty Mrazik has linked giftedness (having an IQ score of 130 or higher) to prenatal exposure of higher levels of testosterone. Mrazik hypothesizes that, in the same way that physical and cognitive deficiencies can develop in utero, so, too, could similar exposure to testosterone result in giftedness.
“There seems to be some evidence that excessive prenatal exposure to testosterone facilitates increased connections in the brain, especially in the right prefrontal cortex,” explains Mrazik. “That’s why we see some intellectually gifted people with distinct personality characteristics that you don’t see in the normal population.”
Mrazik developed the hypothesis that this hormonal hiccup in in-utero neurobiological development means that gifted children are born with an affinity for certain areas such as the arts, math or science. He notes that more is known about what derails the brain’s normal development than what factors might create gifted people. “It’s really hard to say what does put the brain in a pathway where it’s going to be much more precocious,” he said. “The next steps in this research lay in finding out what exact stimuli causes this atypical brain development.”
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Source: University of Alberta
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