Abstract
Research Article| March 01 2016 Brain Development and Poverty AAP Grand Rounds (2016) 35 (3): 30. https://doi.org/10.1542/gr.35-3-30 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Brain Development and Poverty. AAP Grand Rounds March 2016; 35 (3): 30. https://doi.org/10.1542/gr.35-3-30 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All PublicationsAll JournalsAAP Grand RoundsPediatricsHospital PediatricsPediatrics In ReviewNeoReviewsAAP NewsAll AAP Sites Search Advanced Search Topics: brain development, poverty, academic achievement, atypical Hair NL, Hanson JL, Wolfe BL, et al. Association of child poverty, brain development, and academic achievement. JAMA Pediatrics. 2015; 169(9): 822– 829; doi: https://doi.org/10.10001/jamapediatrics.2015.1475Google Scholar Investigators from multiple institutions studied whether structural brain development mediates the relationship between poverty and impaired academic achievement. Data for this study were obtained as part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Study of Normal Brain Development. The NIH study was conducted from 2001–2007 across 6 US centers with the goal of improving understanding of normal brain maturation. Participants in the NIH study, who were 4–18 years old when initially enrolled, received MRI and academic achievement (Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence [WASI] and Woodcock-Johnson III test of achievement [WJ – III]) assessments at 3 time points over a 24-month interval. Socioeconomic characteristics were also collected, including race/ethnicity, family size, parents’ education, and household income categorized using federal poverty levels (FPL). The primary exposure variable was household income. The primary outcomes were participant academic achievement scores and structural brain development as assessed by MRI data of gray matter volumes of brain areas involved in the cognitive abilities critical for children’s school readiness (frontal lobe, temporal lobe, and hippocampus). Investigators used regression analysis to determine whether a brain region was smaller or larger than expected (using a reference of typical development for each brain area of interest) by comparing a participant with others of the same sex and age. They subsequently performed a mediation analysis to determine how much of any observed effect of poverty on academic achievement scores was due to structural brain development. There were 389 participants included in analysis, comprising 823 observations. The mean age at first MRI scan in study participants was 11.1 years with a range of 4–22 years. Household income was found to be significantly associated with atypical gray matter development: among participants who lived in households with <1.5 times the FPL, the gray matter volumes for the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, and hippocampus were 3–4 percentage points (P < .05) below developmental norms. Participants at <1.5 times the FPL also scored 4–8 points lower on tests of achievement (P < .05). It was estimated that development differences in the frontal and temporal lobes accounted for up to 15%–20% of the academic achievement deficits among low-income participants. The investigators conclude that atypical brain development appears to be 1 mechanism explaining the influence of poverty on children’s learning and achievement. Dr Sandell has disclosed no financial relationship relevant to this commentary. This commentary does not contain a discussion of an unapproved/investigative use of a commercial product/device. Many factors contribute to the complexity of the developing brain and ultimately academic achievement. For instance, childhood stress can affect regional brain volume, such as the hippocampus1 (see AAP Grand Rounds, February 2014;31[2]:202 ). Positive parenting can also influence brain structure, regardless of socioeconomic status.3 In the current study, the authors... You do not currently have access to this content.
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