Neuroanatomical differences in the memory systems of intellectual giftedness and typical development

Introduction: Studying neuro-structural markers of intellectual giftedness (IG) will inform scientific understanding of the processes helping children excel academically.

Methods: Structural and diffusion-weighted MRI was used to compare regional brain shape and connectivity of 12 children with average to high average IQ and 18 IG children, defined as having IQ greater than 145.

Results: IG had larger subcortical structures and more robust white matter microstructural organization between those structures in regions associated with explicit memory. TD had more connected, larger subcortical structures in regions associated with implicit memory.

Conclusions: It was found that the memory systems within brains of children with exceptional intellectual abilities are differently sized and connected compared to the brains of typically developing children. These different neurodevelopmental trajectories suggest different learning strategies. A spectrum of intelligence types is envisioned, facilitated by different ratios of implicit and explicit system, which was validated using a large external dataset.