The study revealed that children who recorded the highest level of deprivation generally suffered worse cognitive and mental health outcomes.
Through looking at a number of brain scans researchers could see the levels of brain activity in each child and found lower amounts of circuitry in those who scored the worst.
Rather than solely looking at income levels, those involved in the study also considered a variety of factors that may be putting a child at disadvantage, such as pollution, crime, and access to lower-quality education and healthcare.
After each child was scored on this, the researchers then looked at their MRI scans to measure how well each region of the brain is connected to one another.
This functional connectivity was lower in those classed as disadvantaged, being reduced both between and within several brain networks.
The findings could have potential policy implications, with those involved calling for a shift away from attempting to change family-focused factors to more community-centred initiatives.
Divyangana Rakesh, co-author of the study, said: “Our findings suggest that growing up in a disadvantaged neighborhood indeed impacts the brain.
“Importantly, however, findings suggest that providing children with better home and school environments where they feel supported, receive positive feedback, and have opportunities to engage in different activities, can offset some of the negative effects of neighborhood disadvantage on children’s brain development.”
Researchers said the purpose of the study was to discover how any form of disadvantage at an early age can impact all aspects of brain development, with over 7,500 children aged 9-10 involved.
A number of other research projects have explored similar areas, but the use of MRI imaging has proven this connection.
Scientists from the Université de Montréal looked at how aggressive parenting can also impact this development, finding a link between this and smaller brain structures.
NR Times also covered research from the University of Birmingham which shows cognitive issues such as a short attention span in adolescents can lead to mental health issues in their teenage years.
The study was published by analytics firm Elsevier in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging.
Cameron Carter, editor of the publication, said of the study: “These remarkable results show that improvements in the home and school environments can mitigate against the otherwise deleterious effects of growing up in a disadvantaged setting, providing a powerful message for the importance of public policies that provide more support at home and at school.”
