"Scientists have linked the impact of living in an unequal society to structural changes in the brains of children regardless of individual wealth for the first time. The study of more than 10,000 young people in the US discovered altered brain development in children from wealthy and lower-income families in areas with higher rates of inequality, which were also associated with poorer mental health. The findings suggest inequality creates a toxic social environment that literally shapes how young minds develop, researchers said."
"Experts from King's College London (KCL), the University of York and Harvard University looked at MRI scan images from 10,071 children aged nine and 10 in 17 US states who were involved in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. The team measured inequality by scoring how evenly income is measured in society. States with higher rates included New York, Connecticut, California and Florida, while Utah, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Vermont had narrower income gaps."
MRI scans of 10,071 nine- and ten-year-old children across 17 US states revealed links between state-level income inequality and brain structure. Higher inequality associated with reduced cortical surface area and altered connections among regions supporting memory, attention, emotion and language. These neurodevelopmental changes occurred regardless of individual family income, education, or socioeconomic status. Income inequality was measured by how evenly income is distributed across states, with higher gaps in New York, Connecticut, California and Florida and narrower gaps in Utah, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Vermont. Altered brain structure and connectivity correlated with poorer mental health, indicating inequality acts as a societal determinant of neurodevelopment.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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