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TMP 4 D43
TMP 4 D43
To cite this Article Tan, Üner, AkgÜn, Ahmet, Komsuoglu, Sezer and Telatar, Munih(1993)'Inverse Relationship Between Nonverbal
Intelligence and the Parameters of Pattern Reversal Visual Evoked Potentials in Left-Handed Male Subjects: Importance of Right
Brain and Testosterone',International Journal of Neuroscience,71:1,189 — 200
To link to this Article: DOI: 10.3109/00207459309000604
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/00207459309000604
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Inreni. J. Nerrro.sciencr. 1993. Vol 71, pp 189-200 ‘C 1993 Gordon and Breach Science Publishcrs S.A.
Rcprints available directly from the publisher Printed in the United States of America
Photocopying permitted by license only
AHMET AKGUN
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SEZER KOMSUOGLU
Black-Sea Technical University, Medical Faculty, Department of Neurology,
Trabzon, Turkey
MUNIH TELATAR
Black-Sea Technical University, Medical Faculty, Clinic f o r Internal Diseases,
Trabzon, Turkey
The relationships between latencies of visual evoked potentials (VEPs) and nonverbal intelligence test
scores (IQs from Cattell’s Culture Fair Intelligence Test) and correlations between serum testosterone
level and VEP latencies were studied to examine the neural speed hypothesis of intelligence and its
hormonal mechanisms in left-handed male subjects (Geschwind Scores). In accordance with the speed
theory of intelligence, NI and PI latencies (and amplitudes) were found to be inversely related to IQ.
However, this was true only for the right brain; the left brain did not contribute to this relationship.
There was an inverse relationship between serum testosterone level and PI latency; left minus right N1
latency, depending on N I latency from right brain, linearly increased with testosterone. I t was concluded
that nonverbal intelligence largely depends on speed of information processing only by the right brain,
not by the left brain in left-handed male subjects. This may have been created by testosterone in these
subjects. Inconsistencies in the IQ literature concerning the speed hypothesis of intelligence may be
explained by differences in cerebral lateralization.
KeTwords: Nonverbal in ~ellip w ce,visual evoked porerrtial. testostc’rone, left-hundedness. cerebrul lut-
ercilizutiorz.
In this work, the relation of nonverbal intelligence to latency and amplitude of visual
evoked potential was studied in left-handed male subjects. These parameters of visual
evoked potentials were also studied in relation to serum testosterone levels in the
Address correspondence to Prof. Dr. Uner Tan, Atatiirk University, Medical Faculty, Department of
Physiology, Erzurum, Turkey.
189
190 U . TAN er a1
same subjects. Our primary aim was to analyze the concept of “speed of information
processing” as the biological origin of intelligence (see Eysenck, 1986). We have
expected that there would be an inverse relationship between latency of visual evoked
potentials and intelligence, since Galton (1892) has suggested a link between reaction
time and intelligence. A hundred years later, Eysenck (1986) has provided a detailed
analysis of this concept of intelligence in a review article. Eysenck (1982) posited
that “speed of information processing should be increasingly related to success in
cognitive tasks.” Lehrl & Fisher (1990) have reported that the correlation of speed
of information processing with global intelligence is substantial. Mackintosh (1986)
has stated that a high IQ is largely determined by the speed and efficiency of the
nervous system.
There have been many attempts to relate 1Q to visual and auditory evoked poten-
tials in humans, but with considerable controversy (see Mackintosh, 1986). Mack-
intosh has argued that the attempts to reduce IQ to some simple property of the
central nervous system has not greatly increased our understanding of IQ.
Ertl & Schafer (1969) have studied the relationship between latencies of squential
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visual evoked potentials and 1Q scores from Wechsler intelligence scale for children,
the primary mental abilities test, and the Otis quick scoring mental ability test. These
authors have found highly significant inverse correlations between the latencies of
sequential components of the visual evoked potentials and IQ scores from these in-
telligence tests. Ertl & Schafer have then stated that “our findings suggest that evoked
potentials, by the brain, could be the key to understanding the biological substrate
of individual differences in behavioral intelligence. ” In fact, many authors have at-
tempted to correlate electrophysiological variables with behavioral indices of intel-
ligence, but with considerable controversy (see Mackintosh, 1986). However, Ertl
& Schafer (1969) have stated that evoked potentials may reflect the neural correlates
of higher mental activity or information processing by the brain.
With regard to speed of information processing, Lehrl & Fisher (1990) have stated
that “this parameter may determine or constitute the efficiency of other simple ac-
tivities that are all related to global intelligence. ” These authors have concluded that
“the overall correlation of speed of information processing with global intelligence
is substantial.” Studies in my laboratory also supported this argument of speed of
information processing by brain with regard to intelligence. Tan (1991 c) has re-
ported an inverse relationship between nonverbal intelligence and the latency of
Hoffmann reflex from the right and especially left thenar muscles in left-handed
subjects, and from the right thenar muscles in right-handed subjects. Tan (in press)
has also reported that latencies of somatosensory evoked potentials from posterior
tibial nerves usually showed inverse correlations with nonverbal intelligence in right-
handed human subjects.
The above mentioned works and arguments suggest that there would be an inverse
relationship between intelligence and latency of evoked potentials. Visual evoked
potentials would be of importance with regard to nonverbal (spatial) intelligence.
Therefore, We have studied these potentials in relation to nonverbal intelligence.
It is also expected that serum testosterone levels would be inversely correlated
with latencies of evoked responses. Indeed, Tan (1991 a, b) has found that latencies
of Hoffmann reflex from thenar muscles are negatively linearly correlated with serum
testosterone levels in right-handed male and female subjects. Tan (1991 d) has also
reported that there is a negative linear correlation between serum testosterone level
and P1, N 1 , and P2 latencies of evoked potentials especially from the right posterior
tibial nerve in right-handed males with right-eye preference; there were some vari-
ations depending on eye preference, however. These studies suggested that speed of
IQ, VEP, AND TESTOSTERONE 191
METHODS
Subjects
Subjects were male students from Medical Faculty of the Black-Sea Technical Uni-
versity (Trabzon). These students ranged in age from 17 to 19 years, participated
voluntarily in the study, and did not have psychological and neurological signs and
symptoms.
Hand Preference
Hand preference was assessed by the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (Old field,
1971). Subjects having Geschwind scores (see Tan, 1988) smaller than zero were
considered left-handed.
RESULTS
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Latency of PI wave Figure I also illustrates the relationships between IQ and la-
tency of PI wave from right (C) and left (D) brain. IQ was found to be negatively
linearly correlated with latency of the P1 wave from right brain. This was found to
be statistically significant: r = -.88, t = 3.79, df = 5, p = .019 (see Figure 1C).
There was, however, no significant correlation between IQ and PI latency from left
brain: r = .04, f = .08, df = 5 , p = .94 (see Figure ID).
100
E
80
60
50 60 70 80 80 90 100
LATENCY (ms) LATENCY (ms)
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.............. .......
60 ................................ : . . . . . . . . . . . .:. 60 h
50 60 70 80 80 90 1 1 0 0
LATENCY (ms) LATENCY (ms)
FIGURE I Relationships between IQ and latencies of VEPs in left-handed male subjects Abscissa:
latency (ms) Ordinate: IQ. A: IQ vs N1 latency from right brain ( y = 176.0 - 1 . 3 1 ~ ) .B: IQ vs N1
latency from left brain ( y = 137.5 - .7x). C: IQ vs PI latency from right brain CY = 365.6 - 3 . 1 ~ ) .
D: IQ vs PI latency from left brain (J = 81.0 + .12s).
\
(RIGHT BRAIN)
110 C;.. . . . . . . . .................................. '4
-,,, 1 . . -i
, I j
s 90 :.,* 4.f. : --
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ;. . . .-.. . . _. . .. . ,
-#6:
.-.
5 -
: -. '
5
. . .
: --.:.\
: \ ,I -%
:\
70 ........................................... ..:
3 5 7 9 1 1
AMPL I TUDE
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m
90
70
1 ; : :
;...*. . . . . . i . . . . . . . . . . . . .j.. . . . . . . . . . . . .I
:# mi
im
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .:.. . . . . . . . . . . . .:.. . . . . . . . . . . . .:.
3 5 7 9
AHPL I TUDE
FIGURE 2 Relationships between IQ and NI-PI amplitude from right (A) and left (B) brain Abscissa:
amplitude (microvolt) ordinate: y = 110.7 - 3 . 0 . ~in A; y = 87.4 + .6x in B.
110
0
U 90
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70
-4 -2 2
DISCUSSION
12
10
8
6
4
2
-4 -2 0 2 4
R-L AMPL I TUDE
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110
90
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70
-40 -20 0 20 40 60
R-L AREA
FIGURE 5 Relationship between IQ (ordinate) and right minus left NI-PI area (abscissa) of VEPs in
left-handed male subjects (y = 91.6 - .3x).
This might be due to selective attention during recording of VEPs (Hillyard et al.,
1973; Picton & Hillyard, 1974). However, Schafer (1978) has argued that individual
differences in the modulation of amplitude (cognitive neural adaptability) are related
to individual differences in intelligence. Accordingly, a functionally efficient brain
with high IQ will use fewer neurons to process a foreknown stimulus. That is, in-
dividuals with high adaptability, i.e., with small VEPs, should show high intelli-
gence test performance. This is what we found in the present work.
It was also found in the present work, that the leftward asymmetry in the R-L
amplitude decreased and rightward asymmetry in the R-L amplitude increased lin-
early as IQ decreased. In other words, IQ linearly increased as the rightward asym-
metry decreased and leftward asymmetry increased in the right minus left VEP am-
plitude. This was found to be dependent on the VEP amplitude from the right brain.
That is, IQ increased as VEP amplitude from right brain decreased; a leftward asym-
metry in VEP amplitude was associated with relatively high 1Qs. Similarly, serum
testosterone levels was found to be inversely correlated with amplitudes of the so-
matosensory evoked potentials elicited by posterior tibia1 nerve stimulation in right-
handed young adults (Tan, 1990 c). Moreover, the amplitude of H-reflex from right
198 U . TAN et a1
0 5 10 0 5 10
TESTOSTERONE ( n g m l ) TESTOSTERONE (ng/nl)
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. .......
.
80 1:..................... i. .%. ........ 8 0 ;..................... ...................... j
0 5 10 0 5 10
TESTOSTERONE (ng/nll TESTOSTERONE (ngml)
FIGURE 6 Relationships between VEP latencies and serum testosterone levels Abscissa: total serum
testosterone level (ng/ml) Ordinate: latency (ms). A: N1 latency from right brain (y = 72.6 - 1 . 6 ~ ) .
B: P1 latency from right brain ( y = 95.3 - I .Ox). C : N1 latency from left brain 0, = 74.8 - 1 .lx).
D: P1 latency from left brain ( y = 93.7 - .4x).
thumb was found to be negatively linearly correlated with serum testosterone levels
in right-handed young adults (Tan, 1991 a).
Testosterone was found to be associated with findings of this work. There was a
significant negative linear correlation between P1 latency from right brain and serum
testosterone level; PI latency from left brain was not significantly correlated with
serum testosterone level. It was also shown above that IQ was inversely correlated
with P1 latency from right brain.
The above mentioned testosterone effect on the right brain suggests that the short
latency in high IQ may be caused by testosterone effect on the right brain. That is,
testosterone may be essential for a faster right brain. Moreover, left minus right N1
latency linearly increased as the serum testosterone level increased, which was found
to be created by N1 latency from right brain. These results also suggest that testos-
terone creates an asymmetric brain by acting on right brain in left-handers. These
findings are also in accord with previous findings (Tan, 1990 c; Tan, 1991 d; Tan,
in press).
IQ, VEP, A N D TESTOSTERONE I99
8
A
v1
E 6
v
4
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z
0
-2
0 5 10
SERUM TESTOSTERONE Oiym 1 1
FIGURE 7 Regression of left minus right NI latency (ordinate) on serum testosterone level (abscissa)
in left-handed male subjects ( y = - 1.6 + .7x).
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