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Cited by 624Food Security and Health in Diverse PopulationsChild Abuse and TraumaChild Nutrition and Water Access

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State of the Art Review: Poverty and the Developing Brain

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Johnson, Sara B., Riis, Jenna L., Noble, Kimberly G.·2016·Pediatrics
DOI 10.1542/peds.2015-3075PMC PMC4811314
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Abstract

In the United States, >40% of children are either poor or near-poor. As a group, children in poverty are more likely to experience worse health and more developmental delay, lower achievement, and more behavioral and emotional problems than their more advantaged peers; however, there is broad variability in outcomes among children exposed to similar conditions. Building on a robust literature from animal models showing that environmental deprivation or enrichment shapes the brain, there has been increasing interest in understanding how the experience of poverty may shape the brain in humans. In this review, we summarize research on the relationship between socioeconomic status and brain development, focusing on studies published in the last 5 years. Drawing on a conceptual framework informed by animal models, we highlight neural plasticity, epigenetics, material deprivation (eg, cognitive stimulation, nutrient deficiencies), stress (eg, negative parenting behaviors), and environmental toxins as factors that may shape the developing brain. We then summarize the existing evidence for the relationship between child poverty and brain structure and function, focusing on brain areas that support memory, emotion regulation, and higher-order cognitive functioning (ie, hippocampus, amygdala, prefrontal cortex) and regions that support language and literacy (ie, cortical areas of the left hemisphere). We then consider some limitations of the current literature and discuss the implications of neuroscience concepts and methods for interventions in the pediatric medical home.

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Metadata

Authors
Johnson, S. B., Riis, J. L., & Noble, K. G.
Affiliations
  • Johns Hopkins University (US)
  • Columbia University (US)
ORCID
Venue
Pediatrics
Publisher
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
Published
2016-04-01
Volume
137
Issue
4
ISSN
  • 0031-4005 (ISSN-L)
  • 1098-4275
DOI
10.1542/peds.2015-3075
PMC
PMC4811314
OpenAlex
W2300556435
Cited by
624
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 42 · 2025: 43 · 2024: 57 · 2023: 52 · 2022: 78 · 2021: 90 · 2020: 113 · 2019: 47 · 2018: 55 · 2017: 36 · 2016: 8
FWCI
9.29
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • PEDIATRICS (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
Funders
National Institute on Drug Abuse (K01DA027229)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Child Nutrition and Water Access
Keywords
child poverty, socioeconomic status, brain development, neuroplasticity, epigenetics, environmental enrichment, material deprivation, cognitive stimulation, nutritional deficiency, parental stress, environmental toxins, hippocampus, amygdala, prefrontal cortex, language and literacy, developmental delay, pediatric medical home
MeSH terms
Brain, Child, Environmental Exposure, Humans, Maternal Deprivation, Poverty, Social Class, Stress, Psychological, United States, Health Status Disparities

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