The brain sizes of individuals born between 1930 and the 1970s were compared by researchers at the University of California, Davis Health. They discovered that Gen Xers had a 6.6 percent larger brain than members of the Silent Generation.
The group postulated that growth could lower the risk of age-related dementia and be induced by outside factors such as social, cultural, health, and educational aspects.
It coincides with even more recent research showing a decline in the IQ scores of even younger generations over the past few decades, which has been connected to an excessive reliance on phones and the internet by researchers.
There’s no proof that having a larger brain translates into intelligence; studies indicate that the two have very little correlation.
As reported by Psychology Today, neuroscientists have discovered that increased brain mass actually serves to store more lifetime memories rather than contributing significantly to intelligence.
Nonetheless, the most recent research may help explain why younger generations are less likely to experience dementia or Alzheimer’s.
According to a recent study that spanned 75 years, people born in the 1930s and 1970s had brains that grew by 6.6% and 6%, respectively.
The average brain volume for individuals born in the 1930s was 1,234 milliliters, whereas the brains of today measure about 1,400 milliliters.
Researchers found that the reason people’s brains have gotten bigger over time may be due to things like higher levels of education and improved medical care.
The first author of the study and a neurology professor at the UC Davis Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Charles DeCarli, stated that “the decade someone is born appears to impact brain size and potentially long-term brain health.”.
Researchers analyzed trends in cardiovascular and other disease patterns among individuals born in the 1930s and introduced brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) tests for individuals in the second and third generations of the initial 5,200 participants.
An average age of 57 years old, the participants were over 3,000 individuals born in the 1930s through the 1970s who had MRIs performed between 1999 and 2019.
The cortical surface area of the brain, which regulates motor function and sensory perception, was the region that expanded the greatest.
They found that the area’s volume had increased by 15% and that the hippocampus, a part of the brain related to learning and memory, had shrunk in size.
However, a different study found that the number of cases of Alzheimer’s has dropped by 20% since the 1970s. Researchers now believe that this decline may be due to larger brains.
“Our findings suggest that larger brain structures could be indicative of enhanced brain development and health,” DeCarli said.
A larger brain reserve is represented by a larger brain structure, which may also act as a buffer against the late-life effects of age-related brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s and related dementias. ‘.
According to the study, the growing brains of younger generations may lead to increased brain connectivity and, ultimately, more accurate and efficient performance on tasks.
Yet, studies conducted in Finland, France, the UK, and other nations show that, despite the fact that scientists claim the brain develops with every generation, the IQs of Gen Z and Alpha have decreased by at least two points.
A 2023 study found that IQ scores in the US had also decreased, though it did not state by how much. It also suggested that the decline might have been brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic’s disruption of in-person instruction.
The decline in verbal reasoning, visual problem solving, and numerical series tests, according to the researchers, may also be related to the increased use of social media.
Professor Jim Al-Khalili, an academic and science presenter, previously stated to Dailymail.com in 2022 that the human brain hasn’t grown larger, more effective, or more developed than it was thousands of years ago, despite our “vastly increased scientific knowledge.”. ‘.
This raises the question of how cognitive development is increasing while Gen Z and Alpha struggle to reach the same IQ levels as previous generations, and is directly at odds with the most recent findings that the human brain is growing in size.
Research suggests that although Gen Z and Alpha may have larger brains than people born a century ago, they also have the lowest IQs of all previous generations.
When comparing the brain sizes of individuals born between 1930 and the 1970s, researchers at the University of California, Davis Health discovered that Gen Xers had a 6.6 percent larger brain than members of the Silent Generation.
The group postulated that growth may be induced by outside factors such as health, social, cultural, and educational aspects, and that it may also lower the risk of dementia associated with aging.
It coincides with other recent research showing a decline in IQ scores over the past few decades in even younger generations, which has been attributed to an excessive reliance on phones and the internet.
Research has indicated that there is only a weak correlation between brain size and intelligence, and that having a larger brain does not inevitably translate into being more intelligent.
Psychological Today reports that neuroscientists have discovered that increased brain mass actually does very little to increase intelligence, but rather helps people store more memories from their lifetime.
Nonetheless, the most recent research may help explain why younger generations are less likely to experience dementia or Alzheimer’s.
Across a 75-year period, the new study discovered that people born in the 1930s and 1970s had brains that grew by 6.6% and 6%, respectively.
A person born in the 1930s had an average brain volume of 1,234 milliliters, whereas the brains of today’s generation measure about 1,400 milliliters.
Researchers found that the reason people’s brains have gotten bigger over time may be due to things like higher levels of education and improved medical care.
Charles DeCarli, the study’s first author and a neurology professor at the UC Davis Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, stated that “the decade someone is born appears to impact brain size and potentially long-term brain health.”.
After introducing MRI (brain magnetic resonance imaging) tests for individuals of the second and third generations of the initial 5,200 participants, researchers examined patterns of cardiovascular and other diseases in people born in the 1930s.
A total of over 3,000 participants, averaging age of 57, underwent MRIs between 1999 and 2019 who were born in the 1930s through the 1970s.
The cortical surface area of the brain, which regulates movement and sensory perception, was the region that expanded the greatest.
The hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in learning and memory, had grown in size, and the area’s volume had increased by 15%, according to their findings.
However, a different study found that the number of cases of Alzheimer’s has dropped by 20% since the 1970s. Researchers now believe that this decline may be due to larger brains.
“Our findings suggest that larger brain structures could be indicative of enhanced brain development and health,” DeCarli said.
The late-life effects of age-related brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and related dementias may be mitigated by a larger brain reserve, which is represented by a larger brain structure. “.”.
According to the study, the growing brains of younger generations may lead to increased brain connectivity and, ultimately, more accurate and efficient performance on tasks.
Yet, studies conducted in Finland, France, the UK, and other nations show that, despite the fact that scientists claim the brain develops with every generation, the IQs of Gen Z and Alpha have decreased by at least two points.
A 2023 study found that IQ scores in the US had also decreased, though it did not state by how much. It also suggested that the decline might have been brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic’s disruption of in-person instruction.
Additionally, the researchers noted that a decline in verbal reasoning, visual problem solving, and numerical series tests could be related to the increased use of social media.
Despite our “vastly increased scientific knowledge… the human brain hasn’t got bigger, more efficient, or better than it was thousands of years ago,” academic and science presenter professor Jim Al-Khalili previously stated to Dailymail . com in 2022. “.”.
This not only begs the question of how cognitive development is accelerating while IQ levels among Generation Z and Alpha are falling short of previous generations, but it also stands in stark contrast to the most recent research showing that the human brain is expanding.
