Family Income, Parental Education Related to Brain Structure in Children and Adolescents

A wide-scale study on brain development of children from various socioeconomic classes reports that the stimulation provided by financially-stable families is heavily tied to long-term development potential. The study, conducted by the Saban Research Institute of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Columbia University Medical Center, was published in the journal Nature Neuroscience. Based on a larger study, brain surface area of participants (between the ages of three and 20) was measured with regard to the educational and financial background of their parents, in order to determine how upbringing impacted physical brain development. Rather than a biological link, researchers determined that increased brain development in affluent children was purely a result of environmental factors such as engagement, nutrition and physical health. “Family income is linked to factors such as nutrition, health care, schools, play areas and, sometimes, air quality,” said the author of the study. “Future research may address the question of whether changing a child’s environment — for instance, through social policies aimed at reducing family poverty — could change the trajectory of brain development and cognition for the better.” To learn more about this study, click here.