Hello,
I know next to nothing about neuroscience. Therefore I am asking for some help with my research I am doing for a screenplay that I am working on. I have tried to find answers with Google, but I am coming up short.
This is what I need to know.
Is there any research that points to the brains of intelligent people being physically different than the brains of average or below average brains? If so how would they differ?
Also, if you are like me and like to give your opinion there is also an aspect of ethics in the pharmaceutical industry that will be part of the subtext of the film. The theme being that doing scientific research for the purpose of profits rather than the greater good is wrong, but it is what happens when pharmaceutical companies have free enterprise. I'd love to hear opinions on this topic if you'd care to share them.
Anyway, thanks in advance to anyone who can help me.
Full Version: Help With Research
It seems to me that providing profitable products is to provide products that the public wants (the greater good). Assuming that the public knows what is good for them 
Personally I feel utilitarianism has some problems when applied to medical research. Watch the documentary The Boy in the Bubble if you care to know what I mean.
Personally I feel utilitarianism has some problems when applied to medical research. Watch the documentary The Boy in the Bubble if you care to know what I mean.
Publicly supported university research vs. research for profit:
In for-profit research, findings become trade secrets, resusulting in duplication of effort, and inhibiting sharing of knowledge. With publicly funded research, prestige is associated with results, so scientists share data at public conferences, advancing science.
In a free society, there will always be those who fund research for profit, but science advances better and faster when the public interest is served by public institutions.
I have done both kinds of research.
In for-profit research, findings become trade secrets, resusulting in duplication of effort, and inhibiting sharing of knowledge. With publicly funded research, prestige is associated with results, so scientists share data at public conferences, advancing science.
In a free society, there will always be those who fund research for profit, but science advances better and faster when the public interest is served by public institutions.
I have done both kinds of research.
QUOTE(Rick @ Mar 28, 2008, 02:30 PM) 
In a free society, there will always be those who fund research for profit, but science advances better and faster when the public interest is served by public institutions.
Case in point War.
If I remember rightly, there is no correlation between the size of one's brain and one's IQ.
However the mind is a physical thing, so there must be something physically different in the brains of 'more intelligent people'. A good thing to read up about would be Albert Einstein's brain, which has been extensively studied; it was found that there are some significant physical anomalies. Look up the Wikipedia article on it. I'd link you but this forum software doesn't seem to want to let me.
However the mind is a physical thing, so there must be something physically different in the brains of 'more intelligent people'. A good thing to read up about would be Albert Einstein's brain, which has been extensively studied; it was found that there are some significant physical anomalies. Look up the Wikipedia article on it. I'd link you but this forum software doesn't seem to want to let me.
Thanks for all the answers. You all have good point.
I'll let you in on further detail on my script. The pharmaceutical drug discussed would be male 'enhancement' (I put enhancement in quotations because I think better male enhancement would not be for what's below the belt, rather further up, as in the head). This is indeed something that is in demand, and very profitable. I think this particular drug is so popular for profiteers due to the demographics being older men, whom who are the same demographic that tend to have large amount of money. Whether or not the would needs more of this male 'enhancement' is hardly a debate in my mind. But I believe in silly things like world peace and a prevention based health system.
AS far as IQ and the physical brain, I have read that the amount of grey matter in men, and white matter in women can be indicators of intelligence.
I'll let you in on further detail on my script. The pharmaceutical drug discussed would be male 'enhancement' (I put enhancement in quotations because I think better male enhancement would not be for what's below the belt, rather further up, as in the head). This is indeed something that is in demand, and very profitable. I think this particular drug is so popular for profiteers due to the demographics being older men, whom who are the same demographic that tend to have large amount of money. Whether or not the would needs more of this male 'enhancement' is hardly a debate in my mind. But I believe in silly things like world peace and a prevention based health system.
AS far as IQ and the physical brain, I have read that the amount of grey matter in men, and white matter in women can be indicators of intelligence.
I think there is a correlation between brain volume and IQ.
This is one page talking about it.
Brain volume and IQ
This is one page talking about it.
Brain volume and IQ
QUOTE
More interestingly, 4 recent studies of this question for the first time
derived estimates of brain size from high quality magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI), instead of using external cranial dimensions. All 4
studies show much higher correlations: Willerman et al. (1991) report an
estimated correlation of r = .35 (N = 40); Andreasen et al. (1993) found
a correlation of r= .38 (N = 67); Raz et al (in press) found a
correlation of r = .43 (N = 29); and Wickett et al. (in press) report a
correlation of r = .395 (N = 40, all females). These are all
statistically significant. It is quite simply a myth that brain size and
IQ are empirically unrelated in modern populations.
derived estimates of brain size from high quality magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI), instead of using external cranial dimensions. All 4
studies show much higher correlations: Willerman et al. (1991) report an
estimated correlation of r = .35 (N = 40); Andreasen et al. (1993) found
a correlation of r= .38 (N = 67); Raz et al (in press) found a
correlation of r = .43 (N = 29); and Wickett et al. (in press) report a
correlation of r = .395 (N = 40, all females). These are all
statistically significant. It is quite simply a myth that brain size and
IQ are empirically unrelated in modern populations.
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