Hyper-Connected Brains --- What Does That Mean? And Why Can It Be Both A Blessing & A Curse?

Brain Mind Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

​"Hyper-connectivity and hyper-plasticity in the prefrontal cortex implies hyper-functionality of one of the highest order processing regions in the brain, and stands in contrast to the hypo-functionality that is normally proposed in this region to explain some of the autistic symptoms.

"We propose that a number of deficits in autism such as sociability, attention, multi-tasking and repetitive behaviours, should be re-interpreted in the light of a hyper-functional prefrontal cortex."

 Hyper-connectivity and hyper-plasticity in the medial prefrontal cortex in the valproic acid animal model of autism  (2008)
​ 
              -------Frontiers in Neural Circuits

1 Brain Mind Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
2 Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA

Medical Daily:  
Kids with Autism have Hyperconnected Brains (2013)

BUT HYPER-CONNECTIVITY IS NOT JUST ASSOCIATED with AUTISM

• it is associated with Depression
• it is associated with Schizophrenia
• it is associated with ADHD
• it is associated with Bipolar Disorder
• it is associated with Dyslexia
• Etc.  

https://www.frontiersin.org › articles




by F Morken · 2014 · Cited by 23 — Overall, the dyslexia group showed cortical hyperactivation ... group differences in brain areas associated with language processing as well ..

University of Pavia, Italy

hyper-connectivity between caudate and salience regions in ADHD fMRI at rest
...https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › ...

by S Damiani · 2021 · Cited by 12 — Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) comprises disturbances in attention, emotional regulation, and reward-related processes.

Further, this HYPER-CONNECTIVITY appears to be related in some ways to EPIGENETICS and INCREASED HUMAN VULNERABILITY to NEURO-PSYCHIATRIC DISEASES.

Georgia Institute of Technology

"Therefore, recent epigenetic evolution of human cortex has shaped the cellular regulatory landscape and contributed to the increased vulnerability to neuropsychiatric diseases."

Evolution of DNA methylation in the human brain (2021)

Pitzer College

"Specifically, those with a high intellectual capacity (hyper brain) possess overexcitabilities in various domains that may predispose them to certain psychological disorders as well as physiological conditions involving elevated sensory, and altered immune and inflammatory responses (hyper body)."

​High intelligence: A risk factor for psychological and ...

1. Department of Psychology, Pitzer College, , Claremont, CA  USA
2. Department of Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Seattle Pacific University, USA
3. Department of Research, Awesome Neuroscience, USA
4. Department of Psychology, Pitzer College, USA