To explore the relationship between traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) constitution, functional connectivity (FC) of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and fluid intelligence in university students to elucidate the mind-body relationship from a modern perspective of TCM.

From October 2023 to December 2023, a total of 96 college students of Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine were included, and Classification and Identification of Constitution in Traditional Chinese Medicine: ZYYXH/T 157—2009, Raven′s Advanced Progressive Matrices (RAPM) and resting-state functional near-infrared spectroscopy were used to evaluate TCM constitution, fluid intelligence, and FC of DLPFC. The differences in fluid intelligence between individuals with biased and balanced constitutions were compared using t-tests, and the associations among the TCM Constitution, RAPM score, and the FC between the left and right DLPFC were explored using partial correlation analysis.

The tendency toward blood-stasis type and a dampness-heat type were positively correlated with the RAPM scores. College students with a tendency toward blood-stasis type exhibited significantly higher RAPM scores than those with a balanced constitution (P < 0.05). Additionally, significant negative correlations were observed between the tendencies toward blood-stasis and yin-deficiency types and the FC of the bilateral DLPFC. In contrast, a significant positive correlation was observed in individuals with balanced constitution tendencies.

The tendency toward blood-stasis type is associated with fluid intelligence levels and DLPFC functional activity in college students. This finding suggests that students with higher intelligence levels are more likely to exhibit blood-stasis type, highlighting the need for appropriate adjustments and interventions.