Brain tests show child wealth gap

Written by Matt B · first published 06/12/2008

A new and alarming study from the US suggests that children from low-income families have significantly different brain patterns. Thanet has more than it's fair share of poverty at over twice the national average in some areas.

This difference could place children at a significant disadvantage in competing for jobs later in life. The Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience study was described as a "wake-up call" about the impact of deprivation. says the BBC. It seems that the brains of children from low-income families process information differently to those of their wealthier counterparts, the study suggests.

Children from low socioeconomic backgrounds exhibit less prefrontal cortex activity than their peers of higher socioeconomic status, according to recent UC Berkeley research that provides insight into how children in impoverished conditions can reach their academic potential.

Christine Chen, Study: Background Affects Brain Activity, dailycal.org

Hopefully we can put behind us the dangerous myth that all benefits claimants are just lazy scroungers and start to recognise that through inaction we are setting into motion something that will effect us, our children and their children. Studies have already shown that the effects of poverty can still be seen socially and medically over one hundred years later.

Professor Robert Knight , says: This is a wake-up call - it's not just that these kids are poor and more likely to have health problems, but they might actually not be getting full brain development from the stressful and relatively impoverished environment associated with low socio-economic status.

If we do not act - who will?

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Public Comments

Rick wrote:

Occam's razor required Matt ?

The frontal cortex of high socio-economic children tended to aberrant over reaction to non threatening stimuli.

Conclude: It is important that these well heeled children experience poverty early in life to moderate their frontal cortex activity.

Yet another expert study saying nothing Matt.

(Other studies have linked early years poverty to longevity and freedom from serious mental ill health)

06/12/2008 04:43:37 PM

Matt B wrote:

"Other studies have linked early years poverty to longevity" name them or better yet link to them.

Early years intervention has shown significant increases in the percentage of children starting school at or above the required minimum standard of learning and skills. If you want I can go look up the figures.

Poverty, like depression, OCD and other physically hard to detect issues is not a problem that can be got rid of by telling people to "try harder, do better."

Sociologically the ratio of poor to well off people has an impact on the viability of the localised economy. Why do you think Thanet has been unable to economically regenerate in all this time? There is a problem left unaddressed and it hurts every business on the isle every day.

08/12/2008 11:27:10 AM

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