Tutkimus: Köyhyys saattaa ehkäistä muistin ja oppimiskyvyn kehittymistä
Wisconsin-Madisonin yliopiston tutkijaryhmä tutki lasten aivojen hippokampuksen alueen kehityksen ja perheen sosio-ekonomisen aseman yhteyttä. Hippokampuksen alue on vastuussa sekä muistista että oppimisesta, ja stressi vaikuttaa negatiivisesti kyseisen alueen kehittymiseen. Koska köyhemmissä perheissä koetaan enemmän stressiä, tutkijat olettivat tämän vaikuttavan näiden perheiden lasten myöhempään opiskelumenestykseen.
Journalist Resource 16.05.2011
Family Income and Child Brain Growth
The hippocampus area of the brain controls memory and learning. Its healthy development is important for later success in life, but can be negatively affected by stress. Because stress is often greater in homes with financial difficulties, some researchers believe this could explain lower academic performance among children from families at lower socioeconomic levels.
A study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Harvard University, “Association between Income and the Hippocampus,” compared data among more than 400 children ranging from 4 to 18 years old. The children’s families were divided by socioeconomic level, with the lowest income group composed of families 150% below the Federal Poverty Line ($22,050 for a family of four.) The study screened out children who had mental health issues or indications of very low intelligence.
The study’s findings include:
* Children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds had less gray matter compared to children from more affluent backgrounds.
* One level of higher income status is associated with 14.5% greater growth of active grey area in the hippocampus, even after holding constant many other contributing factors.
* The results held for both Caucasian and non-Caucasian children, though the researchers suggest that more such research needs to focus on questions of ethnicity.
The study indicates that “differences in the hippocampus, perhaps due to stress tied to growing up in poverty, might partially explain differences in long-term memory, learning, control of neuroendocrine functions, and modulation of emotional behavior.” Furthermore, understanding the potential relationship between poverty and brain growth “may aid in the design and implementation of intervention programs” that address health and education needs for underprivileged children.
The study’s findings include:Myös kaksostutkimuksissa on saatu selville, että köyhyys vaikuttaa siihen, kuinka lapsi pääsee kehittymään geneettisen potentiaalisen mahdollistamalla tavalla. Nämä tutkimukset viittaavat voimakkaasti siihen, että köyhyys ja alhainen yhteiskunnallinen asema vaikuttaa lapsen mahdollisuuksiin jo fysiologisella tasolla, mikä kyseenalaistaa vahvasti olettamusta mahdollisuuksien tasa-arvosta yhteiskunnassa, jossa erot varallisuudessa ja yhteiskunnallisessa asemassa ovat suuret.
* Children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds had less gray matter compared to children from more affluent backgrounds.
* One level of higher income status is associated with 14.5% greater growth of active grey area in the hippocampus, even after holding constant many other contributing factors.
The study indicates that “differences in the hippocampus, perhaps due to stress tied to growing up in poverty, might partially explain differences in long-term memory, learning, control of neuroendocrine functions, and modulation of emotional behavior.”
Journalist Resource 16.05.2011
Family Income and Child Brain Growth
The hippocampus area of the brain controls memory and learning. Its healthy development is important for later success in life, but can be negatively affected by stress. Because stress is often greater in homes with financial difficulties, some researchers believe this could explain lower academic performance among children from families at lower socioeconomic levels.
A study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Harvard University, “Association between Income and the Hippocampus,” compared data among more than 400 children ranging from 4 to 18 years old. The children’s families were divided by socioeconomic level, with the lowest income group composed of families 150% below the Federal Poverty Line ($22,050 for a family of four.) The study screened out children who had mental health issues or indications of very low intelligence.
The study’s findings include:
* Children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds had less gray matter compared to children from more affluent backgrounds.
* One level of higher income status is associated with 14.5% greater growth of active grey area in the hippocampus, even after holding constant many other contributing factors.
* The results held for both Caucasian and non-Caucasian children, though the researchers suggest that more such research needs to focus on questions of ethnicity.
The study indicates that “differences in the hippocampus, perhaps due to stress tied to growing up in poverty, might partially explain differences in long-term memory, learning, control of neuroendocrine functions, and modulation of emotional behavior.” Furthermore, understanding the potential relationship between poverty and brain growth “may aid in the design and implementation of intervention programs” that address health and education needs for underprivileged children.