Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/393
35 #1 Fall 2008 Neuro Integration eory (P-FIT, referred to here as the intelligence circuit), "Genetic re- search has demonstrated that intelligence levels can be inherited, and since genes work through biology, there must be a bio- logical basis for intelligence." Since there is most likely a biological basis for intelligence, and intelligence is considered to be a positive survival trait, it is reasonable to assume that humans will get smarter over time just by having sex and making babies, which is a fun (but slow) way to go about solving this problem. e imposed pressures of modern society – such as requisite cultural literacy and basic math skills – also drive the trend toward smarter humans, but simple education and evolu- tion aren't enough for some people. How do we get people to become more intelli- gent within a single generation? ere are a few popular answers to this question. e first is that humans take advantage of brain-computer-interfaces (BCI) to create more robust "offsite" mem- ory and logic processing in a small micro- chip we keep implanted in our chest or shoulder. e technological foundation for making this work exists today, and is cur- rently used to effectively treat Parkinson's disease via targeted computer stimulation of dopamine neurons. While the BCI op- tion seems optimal at first pass, the fact that it requires surgery to embed electron- ics and pass dozens of thin electrodes into our brains at various areas presents ethical roadblocks to research. Perhaps if someone …scientists find a common splice for increasing the efficiency of learning and… neurotrophin supply at specific neural targets, leading to targeted neural growth and plasticity in mammalian neural networks I m a g e b y D C S p e n s l e y