Growing up in neighborhoods with more educational and socioeconomic opportunities has a positive impact on infants' brain activity, according to new research from Boston Medical Center (BMC). The study, published in The Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, suggests that enhancing neighborhood opportunities, particularly in education, can be a promising approach to promoting early childhood development. A team of early childhood researchers examined how neighborhood opportunity – the socioeconomic, educational, health, and environmental conditions relevant to child health and development – is associated with infant brain activity and cognitive development.
The researchers found that infants in neighborhoods with more opportunities have greater brain function at six months of age. In areas with better educational opportunities, these brain differences are also related to better cognition at 12 months old. This study highlights that even in infancy, neighborhoods matter for child development.
Our findings suggest that focusing on neighborhood opportunities, like increasing access to high-quality education, can promote child neurodevelopment." Mei Elansary, MD, MPhil, developmental behavioral pediatrician at BMC and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine The researchers collected their data from 65 infants in community pediatric practices in the Boston and Los Angeles areas. The team examined whether associ.
