New scientific research suggests that when an individual is born, the inherited genes from the mother or father behave in different ways but the genes for the mother are responsible for transmitting intelligence to the children.It has been known for quite some time that intelligence has a hereditary component but it has only been recently that the child’s intelligence has pointed more toward the mother.
In fact, there have been several studies that show children are more likely to inherit intelligence from their mother because intelligence is located in the X chromosomes. This information comes from the researchers at the University of Ulm, Germany. They found that many genes, especially those related to cognitive abilities were in the X chromosomes. Another study was also performed at the The Medical Research Council Social and Public Health Sciences Unit in Glasgow, Scotland and it supported the analysis.
Over 12,000 young people between the ages of 14 and 22 were surveyed in 1994. Several factors were taken into consideration, including race, education, IQ and socioeconomic status. The data showed that the best predictor of intelligence was associated with the IQ of the mother.
It is important to recognise that genetics are not solely responsible for the overall intelligence of the child. There have been additional studies that indicate that the mother plays a crucial role in the emotional development of the child, largely due to emotional and physical contact. Researchers at the University of Minnesota found that, by the age of two, children who have already formed an attachment to their mother have the capacity to play complex symbolic games. According to the research, those children who have a strong bond with the mother fostered natural curiosity and confidence to solve problems effectively. When a mother involved themselves in the problem-solving process with the child, it can also helped to stimulate the child’s potential.
An additional study of University of Washington demonstrated the importance of the mother’s relationship in the development of the brain. Seven years were spent analyzing the way mothers relate with their children. It was found that, by the age of 13, the hippocampus, which is associated with converting short-term memory to long-term memory, was stronger in children who received the emotional support of mothers.
The University of Cambridge conducted a study in 1984 involving rats that only had the genes of either the father or the mother. The embryos died before they were transferred into the uterus, but researchers were able to study the genes. They found that the genes only activated when they were inherited from the mother and are crucial for the development the embryo. The father’s genes are vital for the growth of the tissue that will form the placenta.
Scientists have therefore hypothesized that genes essential for the development of the embryo would also significantly impact brain functions in the lives of both animals and people. In order to prove the theory, however, additional research would have to be done because the embryos with genes from only one parent died quickly.
When normal embryonic cells were maintained, the embryos were able to survive. If they were manipulated, genetically modified laboratory mice were created that did not develop in the same way. If they received an extra dose of maternal genes, they had larger brains and heads but smaller bodies. When they received additional paternal genes, they had larger bodies but smaller brains.
According to these findings, researchers were able to identify cells that contained only maternal or paternal genes in six parts of the brain. These cells aided with the development of advanced cognitive functions, including memory and eating habits. When the cells had paternal genes, they tended to accumulate in the area of the limbic system that influences functions, such as food, aggression and sex. Paternal genes have not yet been found in the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for advanced cognitive functions.
The researchers have said that their findings should not be discouraging to fathers. Even the simplest mathematical and physical problems must be solved using the limbic system because the brain works as a whole, not separately. Intelligence is linked to both rational thinking (perhaps from the mother) and intuition and emotions (perhaps from the father). The impact fathers have on a child’s development cannot be underestimated.