Individual differences in the neurobiology of fluid intelligence predict responsiveness to training: Evidence from a comprehensive cognitive, mindfulness meditation, and aerobic exercise intervention

Ana M. Daugherty, Bradley P. Sutton, Charles H. Hillman, Arthur F. Kramer, Neal J. Cohen, Aron K. Barbey

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Background: Fluid intelligence (Gf) is a critical cognitive ability that is predictive of real-world outcomes, and it has been a persistent aim to characterize its neural architecture. Procedure: We advance our prior research by applying latent class analysis to evaluate individual differences in the neural and cognitive foundations of Gf over the course of a 16-week randomized, multi-modal intervention trial in neurologically healthy, younger adults (N = 424). Results: Controlling for pre-intervention ability, three latent classes described individual performance at post-intervention and one group (n = 71) showed greater gains in visuospatial reasoning and high performance at post-intervention. The high performance group was predicted by larger anterior cingulate cortex, caudate and hippocampus volumes, and smaller middle frontal, insula and parahippocampal cortex volumes. Conclusion: Regions that support cognitive control, working memory, and relational processes differentiated individuals who had higher Gf ability at pre-intervention and demonstrated a cumulative better response to the intervention.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number100123
JournalTrends in Neuroscience and Education
Volume18
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2020

Keywords

  • Fluid intelligence
  • Insula cortex
  • Latent class analysis
  • Middle frontal gyrus
  • Parahippocampal gyrus

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Neuroscience (miscellaneous)
  • Education
  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Behavioral Neuroscience

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