How brain chemistry shapes intelligence: the role of dopamine and beta-endorphins in school students

Scientific evidence suggests that intelligence is shaped by various biological factors and is among the most prominent cognitive abilities influencing academic performance. This study aimed to investigate neurochemical influences on intelligence among school-aged students. A total of 90 male students from three types of schools (public, distinguished, and high-achieving) participated. The Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM) test was used to assess mental age and IQ before any intervention, while both SPM and Advanced Progressive Matrices (APM) were administered before and after a 15-day nutritional intervention involving walnuts and dark chocolate. Dopamine and beta-endorphin levels were also measured to assess physiological influences. Before the intervention, significant differences were observed among the three groups in both mental age and IQ. Post-intervention results showed a notable improvement in the public school group, particularly in APM scores. The distinguished group improved mainly in the SPM test, while the high-achievers group showed no significant changes. Dopamine levels differed significantly among the groups, with higher levels in distinguished and high-achieving students than in public school students. In contrast, beta-endorphin levels did not differ significantly. Overall, the findings indicate that biological factors, particularly dopamine, may contribute to differences in cognitive performance among student groups. Moreover, the nutritional intervention appeared to improve performance among students with initially lower cognitive scores, especially in public schools.