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

Kamel, Najla Abbood; Mohammed Awad, Muthanna; Mohammed Freh, Fuaad

doi:10.37652/juaps.2025.162367.1485

	How brain chemistry shapes intelligence: the role of dopamine and beta-endorphins in school students
Journal of University of Anbar for Pure Science
Volume 20, Issue 1, April 2026, Pages 74-84 PDF (362.02 K)
Document Type: Research Paper
DOI: 10.37652/juaps.2025.162367.1485
Authors
Najla Abbood Kamel^* ¹; Muthanna Mohammed Awad¹; Fuaad Mohammed Freh²
¹Department of Biology, College of Education for Pure Science, University of Anbar, Anbar, Iraq
²Department of Educational and Psychological Sciences, College of Education for Humanities, University of Anbar, Anbar, Iraq
Abstract
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.
Keywords
𝛽-endorphin; Dopamine; Intelligence; Mental age; Raven’s test

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