Cited by 878Cognitive Abilities and TestingNeural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesCreativity in Education and Neuroscience

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Intelligence and neural efficiency

Neubauer, Aljoscha C., Fink, Andreas·2009·Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews

DOI 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2009.04.001

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Abstract

We review research on the neural efficiency hypothesis of intelligence, stating that brighter individuals display lower (more efficient) brain activation while performing cognitive tasks [Haier, R.J., Siegel, B.V., Nuechterlein, K.H., Hazlett, E., Wu, J.C., Paek, J., Browning, H.L., Buchsbaum, M.S., 1988. Cortical glucose metabolic rate correlates of abstract reasoning and attention studied with positron emission tomography. Intelligence 12, 199-217]. While most early studies confirmed this hypothesis later research has revealed contradictory evidence or has identified some moderating variables like sex, task type, task complexity or brain area. Neuroscientific training studies suggest that neural efficiency also seems to be a function of the amount and quality of learning. From integrating this evidence we conclude that neural efficiency might arise when individuals are confronted with tasks of (subjectively) low to moderate task difficulty and it is mainly observable for frontal brain areas. This is true for easier novel cognitive tasks or after sufficient practice allowing participants to develop appropriate (efficient) strategies to deal with the task. In very complex tasks more able individuals seem to invest more cortical resources resulting in positive correlations between brain usage and cognitive ability. Based on the reviewed evidence we propose future empirical approaches in this field.

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“The negative association between characteristic path length and SWM performance aligns with the neural efficiency hypothesis, which posits that individuals with higher cognitive abilities exhibit lower and more efficient brain activation (Neubauer and Fink, 2009).”
Transcranial focused ultrasound stimulation enhances semantic memory by modulating brain morphology, neurochemistry and neural dynamics
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“Our ﬁ ndingthatreducedtask-inducedATLactivity with better semantic performance supports the neural ef ﬁ ciency hypothesis, which suggests that more ef ﬁ cient cognitive processing is linked to reduced neural activation 68 .”
Multivariate relationships between social cognitive performance and functional connectivity during task and rest across schizophrenia spectrum disorders and healthy controls
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“…neural processing costs, which may manifest as reduced network efficiency under high-demand conditions; this is consistent with the neural efficiency hypothesis that implies that increased neural recruitment without corresponding performance gains reflects reduced processing efficiency [14, 32].”
Reduced left dorsolateral prefrontal activation during spatial imagery in elite snowboard halfpipe athletes
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Nonlinear shift along the sensorimotor-association-axis in brain responses to task performance
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“…with performance because of increased cognitive effort, but once performance rode the average and into higher levels of performance, neural efficiency began to take hold, which resulted in decreased activation as processes quickly became more automatic (Braver et al., 1997; Neubauer & Fink, 2009).”
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“Jung and Haier (2007) provide evidence for the efficiency of the network between the Frontal and Parietal lobes, while Neubauer and Fink (2009) highlight Neural Efficiency (glucose economy and resource optimization).”
Influential
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Cognitive ability in childhood predicts adolescent structural and functional brain development: A longitudinal study
Thomson, P., Shaw, P., & Rakesh, D. (2026) · Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1016/j.dcn.2026.101768 · Cited by 1
“…ability specifically relates to frontal and parietal regions of the brain and builds on the neural efficiency hypothesis (Haier et al., 1988; Neubauer and Fink, 2009) which proposes that higher general cognitive ability is associated with more efficient brain activation during cognitive…”
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Perceptual and Cognitive Assessment
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Self-citation
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The Biological Background of Intelligence
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Quercetin Attenuates Manganese-Induced Neurotoxicity in Mice Hippocampus by Regulation of Oxidative Stress and Tumour Necrosis factor Alpha Expression
Adekeye, A. O., Fafure, A. A., Ofogba, O. F., Saka, O. S., Enye, L. A., Akintayo, C. O., Oni, J. O., Adedayo, L. D., & Ojewale, A. O. (2020) · International Journal of Human Anatomy · doi:10.14302/issn.2577-2279.ijha-20-3634 · Cited by 1
“Neurodegeneration is the continuous process of losing the structure or function of neurons which can lead to death of neurons and these have a way to affect person’s movement and cognitive function [3].”
Background
Hemodynamic Analysis of the Prefrontal Cortex to Verify the Relationship Between Athlete Performance Level and Auditory-Spatial Working Memory: A Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study
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“According to the neural efficiency hypothesis (Haier et al., 1988), the higher the performance in related fields (the higher the cognitive ability), the lower the activation degree of the cerebral cortex, showing a negative correlation.”
Background
Low-dissipation optimization of the prefrontal cortex in the −12° head-down tilt position: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study
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“org intelligence tests individuals show lower (more effective) brain activation in performing cognitive tasks (Neubauer and Fink, 2009).”
Background
Cortical thickness moderates intraindividual variability in prefrontal cortex activation patterns of older adults during walking
Ross, D., Wagshul, M. E., İzzetoğlu, M., & Holtzer, R. (2023) · Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society · doi:10.1017/s1355617723000371 · Cited by 1
“However, when task-related increases are greater than expected and without accompanying increases in behavioral performance, this may reflect neural inefficiency (Haier et al., 1988; Neubauer & Fink, 2009).”
Background
Symmetrical SyncMap for imbalanced general chunking problems
Zhang, H., & Vargas, D. V. (2023) · Physica D Nonlinear Phenomena · doi:10.1016/j.physd.2023.133923 · Cited by 2
“Inspired by how neural efficiency influences brain activation by focusing the energy on smaller brain areas [17]; here we propose an algorithm called Symmetrical SyncMap to better solve CGCP, particularly the imbalanced chunking problems.”
Method
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“…is a partial mediator of the relationship between mindfulness and adolescents’ creativity, which further supports the idea that mind-wandering is a critical process variable, which explains how low levels of mindfulness can affect students’ performance of attention (Neubauer & Fink, 2009).”
BackgroundInfluential
Neural and Cardio-Respiratory Responses During Maximal Self-Paced and Controlled-Intensity Protocols at Similar Perceived Exertion Levels: A Pilot Study
Poinsard, L., Palacin, F., Hashemi, I., & Billat, V. L. (2024) · Applied Sciences · doi:10.3390/app142210551 · Cited by 2
Diverse and distributed haemodynamic effects of theta burst stimulation in the prefrontal cortex
Miller, A., & Burke, M. R. (2025) · Neuroimage Reports · doi:10.1016/j.ynirp.2025.100282 · Cited by 1
“Furthermore, evidence from the Cognitive Control Network (CNN) that is responsible for attention regulation and cognitive flexibility may also show decreased HbO due to functional optimization and neural efficiency across this network (Neubauer and Fink, 2009).”
Brain network differences in second language learning depend on individual competencies
Skieresz, N. H., Marca, S. C., Murray, M. M., Reber, T. P., & Rothen, N. (2026) · Imaging Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/imag.a.1379 · Cited by 1
Classification of students’ IQ level using EEG-based intelligence classifier model
Anoor, M. M., Anwar, K. H. K., Ali, M. S. A. M., & Jahidin, A. H. (2018) · Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences · doi:10.4314/jfas.v9i5s.48 · Cited by 1
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Authors: Neubauer, A. C., & Fink, A.
Affiliations: University of Graz (AT)
Corresponding author: Neubauer, Aljoscha C.
ORCID: Neubauer, Aljoscha C.
Venue: Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Published: 2009-07
Volume: 33
Issue: 7
Pages: 1004-1023
ISSN: 0149-7634 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2009.04.001
OpenAlex: W2072541188
Cited by: 878
References: 149
Citations by year: 2026: 115 · 2025: 69 · 2024: 49 · 2023: 60 · 2022: 63 · 2021: 65 · 2020: 48 · 2019: 58 · 2018: 50 · 2017: 40 · 2016: 45 · 2015: 42 · 2014: 39 · 2013: 37 · 2012: 32
FWCI: 40.63
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations: Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Creativity in Education and Neuroscience
Keywords: neural efficiency hypothesis, intelligence, brain activation, cognitive task difficulty, frontal cortex, cortical glucose metabolism, cognitive training, learning, moderators, abstract thinking, attention
MeSH terms: Brain, Brain Mapping, Cognition, Female, Humans, Intelligence, Male, Models, Neurological, Practice, Psychological, Professional Competence, Sex Characteristics

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