ICYMI: Socioeconomics Strongly Influence Kids’ Brain Development

Researchers analyzed MRI brain scans from nearly 12,000 kids between the ages of nine and 10 and found socioeconomic indicators play a pronounced role in shaping their growing brains.

Photo by Yan Krukau from Pexels

Environmental factors of all kinds shape how children develop. But, the socioeconomic opportunities presented by their communities may be the strongest environmental influence on their brain development, according to a study published June 11 in Science. 

Researchers analyzed the relationship between brain development and hundreds of variables shaping a child’s life using a dataset of MRI brain scans from nearly 12,000 children between the ages of 9 and 10. They assessed variables from 12 main categories associated with mental health, cognitive ability, parenting style, and screen time. 

The team discovered a range of socioeconomic indicators, including family income or access to transportation, played a more significant role in influencing the shape and function of kids’ brains than other measures, according to WashU Medicine, one of the institutions that supported the research. Prominent differences emerged in brain areas associated with sleep and stress, suggesting socioeconomic status may influence these factors and, by extension, brain development more broadly.

Big Picture: Research efforts on child brain development often focus on concepts like IQ or mental health, so there’s limited information on the potential impact of familial wealth or opportunities afforded based on residential zip codes. But these researchers say their findings suggest socioeconomic status plays a foundational role in shaping a child’s brain — implying material conditions may provide important context for understanding brain development patterns and pointing to modifiable factors like sleep and stress as potential links underpinning this influence.

Read More: Study highlights influence of socioeconomic status on children’s brain development. STAT News

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About the Author

Bella Isaacs-Thomas

Bella is the Staff Writer and Editor for BrainFacts. She previously worked as a digital science reporter at PBS NewsHour, where she was named a fellow in the 2022-2023 class of the National Science-Health-Environment Reporting Fellowships (SHERF) and earned a 2021 D.C. Science Writers Association Newsbrief Award for writing. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor's degree in 2018.