The neural architecture of general knowledge

Cognitive performance varies widely between individuals and is highly influenced by structural and functional properties of the brain. In the past, neuroscientific research was principally concerned with fluid intelligence,... [ view full abstract ]

Cognitive performance varies widely between individuals and is highly influenced by structural and functional properties of the brain. In the past, neuroscientific research was principally concerned with fluid intelligence, while neglecting another vital feature of the human mind: The ability to store and retrieve immense amounts of information, which is likely to determine an individual's level of general knowledge. Here we used standard MRI along with fMRI and DTI to examine different estimates of brain volume and brain network connectivity and assessed their predictive power regarding general knowledge and fluid intelligence. Our results demonstrate that an individual's level of general knowledge is associated with structural brain network connectivity, whereas fluid intelligence is best predicted by the volume of the cortex. These findings were not confounded by the effects of age and sex and probably indicate a differential neural architecture for information storage and information processing within the human brain.