Giftedness Linked to Prenatal Exposure of Higher Levels of Testosterone

ScienceDaily (Mar. 12, 2011) A longstanding debate as to whether genius is a byproduct of good genes or good environment has an upstart challenger that may take the discussion in an entirely new direction. University of Alberta researcher Marty Mrazik says being bright may be due to an excess level of a natural hormone. Mrazik, a professor in the Faculty of Education's educational psychology department, and a colleague from Rider University in the U.S., have published a paper in Roeper Review linking giftedness (having an IQ score of 130 or higher) to prenatal exposure of higher levels of testosterone. Mrazik hypothesizes that, in the same way that physical and cognitive deficiencies can be developed in utero, so, too, could similar exposure to this naturally occurring chemical result in giftedness. "There seems to be some evidence that excessive prenatal exposure to testosterone facilitates increased connections in the brain, especially in the right prefrontal cortex," said Mrazik. "That's why we see some intellectually gifted people with distinct personality characteristics that you don't see in the normal population." Mrazik's notion came from observations made during clinical assessments of gifted individuals. He and his fellow researcher observed some specific traits among the subjects. This finding stimulated a conversation on the role of early development in setting the foundation for giftedness. "It gave us some interesting ideas that there could be more to this notion of genius being predetermined from a biological perspective than maybe people gave it credit for," said Mrazik. "It seemed that the bulk of evidence from new technologies (such as Functional MRI scans) tell us that there's a little bit more going on than a genetic versus environmental interaction." Based on their observations, the researchers made the hypothesis that this hormonal "glitch" in the in-utero neurobiological development means that gifted children are born with an affinity for certain areas such as the arts, math or science. Mrazik cautions that more research is needed to determine what exact processes may cause the development of the gifted brain. He notes that more is known about what derails the brain's normal development, thus charting what makes gifted people gifted is very much a new frontier. Mrazik hopes that devices such as the Functional MRI scanner will give them a deeper understanding of the role of neurobiology in the development of the gifted brain. "It's really hard to say what does put the brain in a pathway where it's going to be much more precocious," he said. "The next steps in this research lay in finding out what exact stimuli causes this atypical brain development."

SOURCE: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110311153549.htm

SUMMARY This article from Science Daily claims that being intelligent or bright is decided by the level of prenatal exposure to the hormone, testosterone, rather than linking it with genes or environmental interaction. A professor in the University of Alberta claims that if the human brain was exposed to excess amounts of testosterone, then it would lead to that person being gifted or more intelligent than others. The professor, Marty Mrazik, linked his hypothesis with the fact that physical deficiencies can also occur inside the uterus. Hence, any different developments in the brain would also take place in-utero. Mrazik claims that when the prefrontal cortex of the brain is exposed to high levels of testosterone, it will affect the persons personality as well as social behavior after he or she is born. Mrazik came to this conclusion when he observed specific traits present among gifted individuals and relied on the Functional MRI scanner to further observe the neurobiology of the human brain. The hormonal exposure to testosterone during the development of the human in the uterus leads to the child being born with an interest in the arts, math, or sciences. There is not much proof as to how much testosterone would develop the prenatal brain beyond its typical way, which is why Mrazik suggests that extensive research lays ahead. Personal Response If we consider this situation from a TOK point of view, we find that the professor is making a valid scientific claim, such that he based it on his research and observation of the developing human brain. Professor Mrazik depended on the natural sciences, like the study of the neurobiology of the brain and how it works and develops, as well as the use of human sciences or technologies, like the Functional MRI scanner. From those Areas of Knowledge, Mrazik was able to deduce his claim which linked to how he came up with the claim. Mrazik relied on his perception mainly since he observed the behavior and traits of gifted people. Furthermore, the claim was based on MRI scans which the professor analyzed. Hence, reasoning fits as well as a Way of Knowing too. However, this claim might raise an ethical issue as to if man would interfere with the human brain in its early development stages by artificially exposing it to testosterone. This would mean that it would be possible to control if the child is born as gifted or not. It would create a moral or ethical problem since humans would be tampering with the natural way humans develop and controlling the traits of an unborn human.

The article as well does not include any emotional reactions made by the professor nor the individuals that were observed. Hence, emotion was not included as Way of Knowing in this issue. It would have provided us