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Friday, April 03, 2015

Poverty linked to brain structure in children, new research shows

A provocative new study suggests that poverty affects brain structure in children and teenagers, with children growing up in the poorest households having smaller brains than those who live in affluence.

The study, published this week in the journal Nature Neuroscience, was led by Kimberly Noble, who teaches at both Teachers College, Columbia University and at the university’s medical school. Elizabeth Sowell of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles in California was the senior author.

In the largest study of its kind to date, the researchers worked with a team of neuroscientists around the country to record the brain images of 1,099 children and teens from ages 3 to 20. The researchers spent three years analyzing the magnetic resonance imaging scans.

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11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Higher instances of inbreeding among the poor.

Anonymous said...

Well.....Thats a "no brainer" now isnt it?

Anonymous said...

"The researchers have two theories about why poor children have smaller brains. One is that poor families lack access to material goods that help healthy development, like good nutrition and higher quality health care. The other theory is that poor families tend to live more chaotic lives, and that stress could be inhibiting brain development in children."

Third theory: The parents are poor because they have low intelligence that is passed on to their children who then become poor adults and have children with low intelligence and on and on and on. But of course in progressive theory all people are equal so this can't be.

Anonymous said...

More like with the money. Keep it all in the family. Plenty of rich daddy's touching their kids as well. But I guess the air is fresh with that nose that high huh?

Anonymous said...

Keep making excuses instead of working your way out.

Anonymous said...

Some rich kids dumb as a chunk of wood also.

Anonymous said...

Ever heard of the bell curve?

Anonymous said...

2:32 you are right, I read studies and they said the same things. This was a study on why black people tend to score so low on the IQ tests, Social Service exams, SAT's, College entrance exams, Officer exams in the armed forces, it goes on and on.

Anonymous said...

their study was from pre world war 2.and it got busted with the Tuskegee Airmen. put that in your pipe and smoke it!

Anonymous said...

Most if not all ""challenges" that poverty represents, can prevented or overcome by good parenting.

Anonymous said...

11:34 Which study?

There have been countless studies done, over the past century through the present, attempting to find causative factors in the intellectual, behavioral, social and occupational disparity between the races. That this gap exists is beyond dispute at this point.

The Tusiegee airmens' accomplishments were extraordinary, but this does not disprove a thing. It merely points out that even when faced with genuine racism that was still prevalent in the 50"s and 60's, talented, motivated blacks can still achieve greatness.