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Abstract
In this project, we wanted to understand the neural mechanisms that underlie age related differences between people in their ability to figure out verbal and abstract problems. We found a weak but significant effect of cross-sectional age on the mean fluid intelligence score, such that older individuals scored slightly lower. Some of these differences could be explained by differences in brain structure, specifically in terms of grey matter (the cell bodies) and white matter integrity (the connections between brain regions). Generally, people with more grey matter, and more intact connections between regions, had slightly higher scores on the abstract puzzle tests. The strongest effects were such that higher grey matter volume in the frontal pole and greater white matter microstructure in the posterior thalamic radiations were associated with higher fluid intelligence scores.