From: Rafal Smigrodzki (rms2g@virginia.edu)
Date: Fri Oct 04 2002 - 11:15:54 MDT
Writing about the far-out prospects for our intellectual descendants started
me on a more immediate problem, also related to our recent IQ/race debate
here.
It does appear that all of us are cognitively impaired to various degree.
Racists of course want to believe that most of our differences, both the
ones between individuals and the ones between groups, are genetic in origin,
with the assumed smug (if mostly unfounded) feeling of superiority that they
derive from it. Dr Sowell, whose recent three articles I read (the reference
to the Britons being regarded by the ancient Romans as too stupid to make
good slaves amused me immensely), says that the environment is the cause
responsible for group differences. Murray and Herrnstein were strictly
agnostic as to whether inter-group differences are environmental or genetic
in origin, although they clearly agree with the majority of psychologists
that inter-individual variation is caused predominantly by genes.
I detest racists, like Dr Sowell, and agree with M&H, yet, personally, I
think the crux of the issue is not the apportionment of blame between genes
and environment. What matters is, what can we do about it?
That a problem is "environmental" doesn't automatically mean it's easy to
remedy, or else the drug war would have been won a long time ago.
Conversely, a "genetic" problem doesn't leave fatalistic acceptance as the
only option. Indeed, a properly understood genetic problem can become a
minor environmental trifle. An example of that is phenylketonuria, an inborn
error of metabolism which invariably caused severe mental retardation, until
a special diet limiting phenylalanine was found to prevent all damage.
Today, should a child with PKU become retarded, we would see that no longer
as a genetic problem but rather as a case of parental neglect, a failure to
provide the mind-saving diet.
A few years ago I worked in the lab of Pat Levitt, searching for genes
involved in the early patterning events in mammalian cerebral cortex. I
failed to find them but others were more successful. In the five years since
I left the lab more has been found about the biochemistry of cortical
development than in all the thousands of years until 1996. The FGF-family,
Emx, Dmx, FOX 2 and other genes were found, and a general picture of
patterning started to emerge.
On another front, advances in cognitive neuroscience and brain imaging
pinpointed the cortical areas most important for general intelligence. The
anterior cingulate and dorsolateral cortices were found to activate roughly
proportionately to the g-loading of test items, and testable hypotheses
about their exact roles were made.
These advances fill me with optimism. In as little as 20 years we might have
the technology to allow persons with IQ 70 to solve the Schroedinger's
equation. Perhaps we'll use implantable osmotic pumps to deliver growth
factors to the ACC and DLPFC, to stimulate neuron growth there. Maybe we'll
use neural stem cells engineered to home in on specific combinations of
morphogens in selected Broadman's areas, settle there, and connect with the
right classes of existing neurons to give them a boost. Maybe we'll go for a
"simple" cortical tap, arrays of electrodes listening in on neural traffic,
and delivering computational assist from remote computers. I don't know
which approach will turn out to be the best, but something will work, and
erase a lot of suffering.
And another good thing will be, I'll finally understand quantum mechanics,
too.
Rafal
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