A child at the age of 3 has more neural connections than an adult, even though the brain volume is smaller. As the child grows up, synaptic or neural pruning occurs and the child loses most of his childhood memories but begins to think more rationally or more clearly.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synaptic_pruning

A more intelligent brain spends more time over connecting...
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/news/science-news/2006/cortex-matures-faster-in-youth-with-highest-iq.shtml

An ASD individual may have more connections than typically developing children
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/830316
http://newsroom.cumc.columbia.edu/blog/2014/08/21/children-autism-extra-synapses-brain/

Schizophrenia is linked to abnormal pruning as well:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3104582/

Eco21268 posted a good reference on ADHD (thanks!), but unfortunaltely the authors didn't look at the dynamics of the cortical thickness and it is the key for high IQ kids and ADHD.... Measuring it at only one point in time is misleading.

Bipolar/mood disorder...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/11986993/



Last edited by Chicagomom; 05/10/16 05:49 AM.