ST. LOUIS — Socioeconomic conditions appear to leave a stronger imprint on children's brain development than other commonly studied factors, according to a study published on June 11 in the journal Science. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis reported that family finances, neighborhood resources and access to opportunities were more closely associated with differences in children's brain structure and function than measures such as IQ, parenting style or medical history.
The study analyzed data from thousands of U.S. children participating in the federally funded Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, an ongoing research project tracking youth development. Researchers examined brain imaging data alongside hundreds of biological, psychological, social and environmental variables to determine which factors showed the strongest relationships with brain characteristics.
According to the researchers, socioeconomic measures accounted for a significant share of variation in brain function and consistently ranked among the strongest factors linked to both brain structure and connectivity. Variables associated with family income, housing stability, neighborhood conditions and access to community resources were among those most closely connected to observed brain differences.
“We set out to compare hundreds of influences on the developing brain on a level playing field, and for the first time at this scale, we showed that socioeconomic conditions leave the deepest imprint of any factor we looked at,” senior author Dr. Nico Dosenbach of Washington University School of Medicine said in a statement released by the institution.
Researchers said the findings do not establish that socioeconomic factors directly cause the brain differences observed in the study. However, they reported that children growing up in lower-opportunity environments were more likely to experience conditions such as reduced sleep, higher stress levels and increased screen use, factors that may contribute to differences seen in brain scans.
Independent experts said the study adds to a growing body of research examining how childhood environments influence brain development. Russell Poldrack, a psychology professor at Stanford University who was not involved in the research, told NPR that the findings highlight the impact of the environments in which children grow up and live.
The authors said additional research is needed to determine the mechanisms linking socioeconomic conditions to brain development and to assess whether changes in environmental circumstances could alter developmental trajectories. The ABCD Study continues to follow participants as they move through adolescence, providing researchers with further data on long-term outcomes.
