Caltech: Lesion Mapping of Cognitive Abilities Linked to Intelligence

Here is a 12 page pdf with supplemental information to the research paper on “Lesion Mapping of Cognitive Abilities Linked to Intelligence”. They identified the parts of the brain that are used for verbal comprehension, perceptual organization, working memory and processing speed.

The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) assesses a wide range of cognitive abilities and impairments. Factor analyses have documented four underlying indices that jointly comprise intelligence as assessed with the WAIS: verbal comprehension (VCI), perceptual organization (POI), working memory (WMI), and processing speed (PSI). We usednonparametric voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping in 241 patients with focal brain damage to investigate their neural underpinnings. Statistically significant lesion-deficit relationships were found in left inferior frontal cortex for VCI, in left frontal and parietal cortex for WMI, and in right parietal cortex for POI. There was no reliable single localization for PSI. Statistical power maps and cross-validation analyses quantified specificity and sensitivity of theindex scores in predicting lesion locations. Our findings provide comprehensive lesion maps of intelligence factors, and make specific recommendations for interpretation and application of the WAIS to the study of intelligence in health and disease.

Brain Map has Almost Millimeter Cube Volume Precision
43 patients underwent computerized axial tomography (CT) scans and for 198 patients highresolution anatomical T1 weighted images were acquired on a 1.5 T General Electric Signa scanner with a 3D SPGR sequence. A total of 124 coronal slices were acquired (in-plane resolution 1×1 mm, inter-slice distance 1.6 mm, field of view 24 cm).


They statistically correlated how much each piece (voxel) of brain in each specific location correlates to intelligence.

10 thoughts on “Caltech: Lesion Mapping of Cognitive Abilities Linked to Intelligence”

  1. Does it work? I don’t care if government-funded scientists say the theory is flawed or whatnot…does it frickin’ WORK? Dark Ages scientists figured out the Earth revolved around the sun, not the other way around, despite the fact that the prevailing theories of the day said it couldn’t happen…but the prevailing theories were full of crap. So, just because they might not be able to explain to a room full of Ivy League guys how it works, if it DOES work, that should be the proof of the frickin’ pudding. Now, put your slide-rules away, Mary Sue, and plug the sucker in with an audience of news cameras and regular people, and let that be your proof. End of line.

  2. The physics as presented may not conform to existing theories, etc. but they are getting results if we are to believe their press releases. So if they are creating heat through whatever physics is taking place, that is the main thing. Let the scientists argue about how, just get the damn thing scaled up and working in a real world situation.

  3. BLP is based on the theory that an electron is a charge-shell around the nucleus, not a solid-particle orbiting the nucleus. If BLP works then 80 years of physicists are going to eat crow and Mills is the next Einstein. Or not.

  4. You need to revise the unit cost comparison table: the one you reproduce is from 3 years back, when they were testing plasma-based devices at low pressure. Not your fault. Look in the marketing paper, businesspresentation-wed.pdf page 9 and you will find the updated version: notably increasing power density from 0.2 W/cc to 10 W/cc.

  5. Interesting…

    I’ve been following BLP off and on for about 10 years now. This breaks with tradition for them.

    For years they’ve been posting scientific papers and claiming products were ‘just around the corner’.

    I would assume that this means they either really do have something, or are getting desperate to keep the investment money coming.

    Supposedly they have raised over $50 million over the last 10 years

  6. It is a claim as it says in the title.

    There is controversy around it.

    Either they make useful power generators or they do not. The only “snake oil” sales that will be made is if their device works. Blacklight power is not asking for investment.

    If the devices do not work then the company will fail.

    Many people seem overly concerned about scams, before there is any attempt to sell them anything. No readers of this site are sending Blacklight money for investment. Any devices produced for sale will go through thorough testing and people can believe the results and the claims at that point before they choose to buy anything.

  7. Snake Oil.

    Hydrinos are completely mythical, and the entire Blacklight Power thing is a scam.

    Even a small amount of research in the physics community would have turned that up.

  8. If nothing happens within that time frame, I would be pretty skeptical.

    Given their history, it’s normal to be skeptical, no Phd needed at this point.

    If this does pan out, cheap batteries are next on my wish list!

  9. You should change your post title; this isn’t cold fusion and BLP makes no claims as to fusion of any sort. It says right in the press release you linked to this is a chemical reaction creating heat. It’s basically just burning stuff to run a dynamo. The breakthrough is in the nature of the chemical reaction.

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