The mail takeaway I got from this chapter was that genes are an important aspect of a person's potential, but they only determine about half of the traits a person might have. The rest are determined by the "environment." "Environment" in this case can mean things as diverse as diet, training, interaction with microbes, etc.
The authors seemed to be careful to point out the limits of genetics and the problems with trying to define just what a "superior" person is. Three examples are given of people who can be seen as handicapped in some way, and yet possessing significant advantages in another way.
The authors describe the results of studies using fMRIs and reading skills which indicate a correlation between reading and certain brain configurations. The problem is that having two related traits does not tell you whether one trait causes the other or if they are both related to some other trait.
For example: do people with good reading skills cause their brain to be configured a different way, or does having a particular configuration mean that the person is a good reader? Another possibility could be that people with good reading skills receive abundant dietary essential fatty acids during a key period of growth.
Diffusion Tensor Imaging
According to an article I found, Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) reveals the circuits in the brain that are activated during a given activity. DTI is another form Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) that tracks the large movements of water molecules. Since blood is largely water, this sort of scan should show the routes that blood is flowing to and hence show the neural pathways that are being activated.
Contrast this with Functional MRI, which shows where carbohydrates (sugar) is being consumed in the brain.
No comments:
Post a Comment