ST. LOUIS — New research published this month has found that economic conditions in a child’s neighborhood may be closely associated with measurable differences in brain development and stress-related brain systems, adding to growing evidence that socioeconomic environments can influence childhood health outcomes.
The findings, reported by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine and published in the journal Science, were released as policymakers and public health experts continue to examine how social and economic factors affect children’s well-being. The study analyzed brain imaging and developmental data from thousands of U.S. children and found that neighborhood and family socioeconomic conditions were among the factors most strongly associated with differences in brain structure and function.
Researchers examined hundreds of biological, behavioral, environmental and social variables using data from the federally funded Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study. According to the authors, factors linked to socioeconomic opportunity, including neighborhood resources, household income and related measures, showed stronger associations with brain development than many other variables examined.
The study found that children growing up in neighborhoods with lower incomes and fewer social resources were more likely to exhibit brain patterns associated with higher stress levels and reduced sleep. Researchers said those patterns were particularly evident in brain regions involved in sensory processing and motor functions.
“Something is going on in these neighborhoods,” lead author Scott Marek, an assistant professor of radiology at Washington University School of Medicine, said in comments accompanying the research. “We need to find out how socioeconomics is becoming biologically embedded.”
Independent experts said the findings underscore the importance of environmental influences on child development. Russell Poldrack, a psychology professor at Stanford University who was not involved in the research, said the study “highlights the fact that the environment in which we grow up and live has powerful impacts on our brain.”
The researchers cautioned that the study identifies associations rather than direct cause-and-effect relationships. They said the findings do not prove that neighborhood economic conditions alone cause the observed brain differences, and additional research will be needed to determine the mechanisms involved.
The new findings also follow other recent studies examining neighborhood disadvantage and child development, including research suggesting that socioeconomic conditions may influence brain development before birth and affect later behavioral outcomes.
As of June 2026, researchers said further studies are underway to better understand how factors such as stress, sleep, access to resources and community conditions may contribute to differences in childhood brain development. Details on potential policy implications remain under review by health and research institutions.
