Poverty, Neglect in Childhood Affect Brain Size

Poverty and lack of nurturing in early life may have a direct effect on a child’s brain development, according to a study that found smaller brain volumes in poor, neglected children.

The study of brain scans, published today in JAMA Pediatrics, found children living in poverty without adequate nurturing had smaller hippocampus, a brain region linked to learning and memory, than those who weren’t poor or neglected. Poor children, even if not neglected by parents, were found to have less gray matter, which is linked to intelligence; less white matter, which helps transmit signals; and smaller amygdala, an area key to emotional health.