Sentence examples for maximal brain size from inspiring English sources
In this cohort maximal brain size (ICA) but not global atrophy was associated with general cognitive ability aged 75 80.
Christensen et al. (2007) also found a correlation between cognitive ability and maximal brain size, but not atrophy, for men but not women [ 15].
Therefore, the association between brain size and cognitive ability in older life is due to the association between current, fluid ability and prior, maximal brain size.
However, it should be noted that the effect size of maximal brain size on cognition is small: ICA accounts for only around 7% of the variance in g.
Another recent study also stated that normalizing volumes to ICV is inadequate due to the fact that the maximal brain size seems to be an important predictor of cognition in old age, independent of brain pathology (Farias et al. 2011).
However, this method has some weaknesses: the nonlinear relationship between brain volumes and intracranial volume [ 44] and the fact that the maximal brain size seems to be an important predictor of cognition in old age, independent of brain pathology [ 45].
Head size therefore reflects maximal, rather than current, brain size.
We hypothesised that: (a) current brain volume would be associated with current cognitive ability, (b) this association would be attenuated when corrected for maximal (prior) brain volume and (c) the association would be due to the relationship between general cognitive ability and overall brain size, not specific cognitive domains and brain regions.
Brain size is another matter.
How have scientists explained this jump in brain size?
