Non-linear effects of socioeconomic status on brain development: associations between parental occupation, cortical thickness and language skills in childhood and adolescence

Khundrakpam, Budhachandra; Choudhury, Subhashree; Vainik, Uku; Al‐Sharif, Noor; Bhutani, Neha; Evans, Alan C.; Study, Genetics

doi:10.1101/575993

Cited by 6 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 72 publications

(96 reference statements)

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“…This pattern is suggestive of more prolonged maturational processes in infants from higher-SES backgrounds. Later in development, in youth aged 3–20 years, SES moderates the negative relationship between age and cortical thickness such that youth from lower-SES backgrounds show a steeper curvilinear decrease in cortical thickness at a younger age than do youth from higher-SES backgrounds 22 , 23 . Adolescents aged 12–18 years in low-income households show a steeper curvilinear relationship between age and cortical thickness than do adolescents in high-income households 24 .…”

Section: Structural Brain Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental influences on the pace of brain development

2021

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Childhood socio-economic status (SES), a measure of the availability of material and social resources, is one of the strongest predictors of lifelong well-being. Here we review evidence that experiences associated with childhood SES affect not only the outcome but also the pace of brain development. We argue that higher childhood SES is associated with protracted structural brain development and a prolonged trajectory of functional network segregation, ultimately leading to more efficient cortical networks in adulthood. We hypothesize that greater exposure to chronic stress accelerates brain maturation, whereas greater access to novel positive experiences decelerates maturation. We discuss the impact of variation in the pace of brain development on plasticity and learning. We provide a generative theoretical framework to catalyse future basic science and translational research on environmental influences on brain development.

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Section: Structural Brain Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental influences on the pace of brain development

2021

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“…Accordingly, schools could benefit from including activities in their curricula that stimulate the development of Students’ EFs. This is of special importance for children from lower educated families who may lag behind in the development of EFs because their home environment has not been optimal for the acquisition of skills in this domain ( Rindermann and Baumeister, 2015 ; Khundrakpam et al, 2019 ; Mackes et al, 2020 ). Moreover, results from the present study indicate that not only children from lower LPE families may benefit from such facilities, but also students with behavioral problems in the classroom.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

School Achievement in Early Adolescence Is Associated With Students’ Self-Perceived Executive Functions

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Elst³

et al. 2022

Front. Psychol.

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The primary aim of this study was to investigate the relation between self-perceived executive functions (EFs) and the school achievement of young adolescents (aged 10–12 years), while controlling for parental education and sex. We specifically focused on executive aspects of daily life behavior and the higher-order EFs, as measured with self-report, rather than on the more basic EFs which have been the primary focus of prior investigations. In two independent samples of sixth graders (N > 200 each), students evaluated their EFs on a self-report questionnaire, the Amsterdam Executive Functioning Inventory. School achievement in the domains of mathematics and reading comprehension were evaluated with nationally used, norm-based achievement tests. Results revealed that the self-perceived EFs of young adolescents were significantly correlated with their school achievement in both study samples. School achievement was also correlated with the level of parental education, but the factor sex did not have such influence. In study 1, self-perceived EFs explained additional variance in school achievement, while controlling for parental education and sex. In study 2, this was only the case for the most robust measure of school achievement, i.e., the end-of-primary-school final achievement test. Furthermore, besides the relation with achievement tests, we also found a relation between self-perceived EFs and teacher ratings behavioral problems in the classroom. Together, our findings imply that young students can properly reflect on the effectiveness and appropriateness of their EFs in a way that is relevant to their academic achievement and classroom behavior. The findings underscore the importance of considering the development of EFs and parental education in the evaluation of academic achievements in early adolescence.

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“…Several papers have been published which make this point in a comparison of children growing up in families from a lower versus higher SES (e.g., Mackes et al, 2020 ; see also Farah, 2018 ). As an example, Khundrakpam et al (2019) found non-linear effects of socioeconomic status on brain development in childhood and adolescence with associations between parental occupation, cortical thickness and language skills. In adolescence, social isolation appeared to disrupt cortical development and goal-dependent decision making ( Hinton et al, 2019 ).…”

Section: Brain Development Learning and The Notion Of Plasticitymentioning

confidence: 99%

On Neuroeducation: Why and How to Improve Neuroscientific Literacy in Educational Professionals

Jolles

2021

Front. Psychol.

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New findings from the neurosciences receive much interest for use in the applied field of education. For the past 15 years, neuroeducation and the application of neuroscience knowledge were seen to have promise, but there is presently some lack of progress. The present paper states that this is due to several factors. Neuromyths are still prevalent, and there is a confusion of tongues between the many neurodisciplines and the domains of behavioral and educational sciences. Second, a focus upon cognitive neuroimaging research has yielded findings that are scientifically relevant, but cannot be used for direct application in the classroom. A third factor pertains to the emphasis which has been on didactics and teaching, whereas the promise of neuroeducation for the teacher may lie more on pedagogical inspiration and support. This article states that the most important knowledge and insights have to do with the notion of brain plasticity; the vision that development is driven by an interaction between a person’s biology and the social system. This helps individuals to select and process information, and to adapt to the personal environment. The paper describes how brain maturation and neuropsychological development extend through the important period of adolescence and emergent adulthood. Over this long period, there is a major development of the Executive Functions (EFs) that are essential for both cognitive learning, social behavior and emotional processing and, eventually, personal growth. The paper describes the basic neuroscience knowledge and insights – or “neuroscientific literacy” – that the educational professional should have to understand and appreciate the above-described themes. The authors formulate a proposal for four themes of neuroscience content “that every teacher should know.” These four themes are based on the Neuroscience Core Concepts formulated by the Society for Neuroscience. The authors emphasize that integrating neuroscientific knowledge and insights in the field of education should not be a one-way street; attempts directed at improving neuroscientific literacy are a transdisciplinary undertaking. Teacher trainers, experts from the neuroscience fields but also behavioral scientists from applied fields (notable applied neuropsychologists) should all contribute to for the educational innovations needed.

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Non-linear effects of socioeconomic status on brain development: associations between parental occupation, cortical thickness and language skills in childhood and adolescence

Cited by 6 publications

References 72 publications

Environmental influences on the pace of brain development

Environmental influences on the pace of brain development

School Achievement in Early Adolescence Is Associated With Students’ Self-Perceived Executive Functions

On Neuroeducation: Why and How to Improve Neuroscientific Literacy in Educational Professionals

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