Congressman Fattah Cites Study Showing Malleability of IQ in Teenage Brains

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA), senior Democrat on House Appropriations' Commerce, Justice, Science and related agencies (CJS) Subcommittee and leading Congressional neuroscience research advocate responds to intriguing new brain research in the journal Nature.

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Congressman Fattah said of the article, 'Verbal and non-verbal intelligence changes in the teenage brain,' "This ground-breaking research calls into question so many of our assumptions; I want to thank the authors and sponsors for this impressive undertaking.  We are called to reexamine our preconceived notions about the permanence and reliability of IQ in measuring the intellectual 'potential' of individuals."

The new research found significant changes in teenagers' IQs, up to a 20-point swing, are substantiated by MRI scans -- counter to the long-held understanding that IQ remains stable across lifespan.

"I hope policymakers will see this preliminary research as a reason to continue to support interventions throughout children's development," Fattah said. "More importantly, this study raises new and interesting questions about the brain.  The authors themselves ask whether this 'plasticity' is present through the life of an individual, or speaks to the unique developmental phase of adolescence.  I am excited about the new discoveries future research will provide."  

As the senior Democrat on CJS, Fattah has pursued a long-standing interest in cognitive brain function, brain disease and brain injury.  This study touches on all these issues by raising new and interesting questions about the brain. He expects to make an announcement relating to future research in these areas in the coming weeks.

To read the complete article found in the journal Nature, click here.

SOURCE Office of Congressman Chaka Fattah

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