Between-Group Racial Differences in the Relation of Brain Function to Intelligence

Vincent Jerome Schmithorst¹, Scott Kerry Holland¹

To date, there is no published data examining between-group racial differences in the neurobiological correlates of intelligence. We performed a retrospective analysis of fMRI data obtained as part of a study of normal language development in children ages 5-18 to investigate this question. In a cohort of African-American and Caucasian children matched for IQ, age, and socio-economic status, specific regions with race-X-IQ interactions on brain activation were found on two out of the four tasks examined. Results suggest such differences are subtle and not widespread and may relate to differences in the relation between executive function and intelligence.