During the first five years of life, more than half the calories a growing child consumes go to fueling the massive construction project inside their cranium. Building a brain — all the neuronal connections that form memories, store language, perceive the world, control bodily movements — is an energy-intensive act of singular creation. The unique architecture of a child’s mind — what defines how they think and feel — is constantly being shaped by the interplay of the surrounding environments and the genetic blueprints spooled inside their developing tissues.
Scientists have long wondered which aspects of childhood most influence neural development. Only in the last few years have collections of data large enough to start answering those questions emerged. Now, after analyzing brain scans from nearly 12,000 children ages 9 and 10, a group of researchers at Washington University School of Medicine has found that the leading environmental factor influencing brain structure and function — more than IQ, parenting style, or health history — is the socioeconomic status of a child’s family.
