Recent study conducted by Martha Farah from the University of Pennsylvania sheds some revolutionary light on the brain development of impoverished children. This neurobiological study scanned children’s brains from a multitude of socio-economic backgrounds and got some groundbreaking results.
In children from poorer households, two areas of the brain were found to be smaller than those belonging to children from higher status homes. The hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex, areas responsible for learning, perception, memory and higher order thinking, were not fully developed in the less privileged children. What’s important to note is that these changes are not necessarily observable at birth. The brains of children from both wealthy and poor backgrounds are quite biologically similar at birth. It is over time that these neurobiological changes come to pass. What could be the cause? Farah suggests it could be the difference in cognitive stimulation, or the compounding effects of higher stress levels among the less privileged.
New Scientist also has some key information on the subject. It outlines a study done by Marcus Pembrey from the University of Bristol on the differences in genes between adults born into wealth versus those born into poverty. The study showed combinations of genes amongst the two groups of adults had been either turned on or turned off, a biological process called epigenesis. Pembrey suspects the changes observed in the adults from impoverished backgrounds may have been designed to help protect those individuals weather the hardships of challenging childhoods. But this change in gene activation may come at a price. The changes may indicate a higher vulnerability to heart disease, cancer, and even mental disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
In addition, a study conducted by Colter Mitchell out of the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research backs up these findings. The study examined the way genes may be affected by the stressful conditions of growing up in a low income home. The findings indicate that children raised in difficult or harsh environments have genes that appear worn and more rapidly aged than their wealthier counterparts.
It seems the key factor amongst these findings is the environment in which the children are raised. The challenges and stressors in early childhood seem to have a large impact on brain and gene development, but how much of our fate is really determined by our biological makeup? What do you think? Let us know your thoughts
