Alina Shrourou - Children born into poorer backgrounds show key differences in early brain function, finds study

Our brains are neuroplastic and change according to the environment. Poor children are often negatively affected by poverty which makes its difficult for them to learn or do well at school. A viscous circle can set up where these children will grow up into adults who continue to under achieve and live in poverty, and so their children will under achieve as well.

Some of these people live in the underclass and can be an enormous burden on society as many get involved in crime, drugs, and violence. It makes our society less pleasant and cost us a fortune in policing and prisons. But welfare when applied correctly could bring enormous benefits and could be seen as an investment. In the end we end up with happier, more productive people in work lowering the tax burden on the rest of us, as well as having less costly police, remand, social and prison services.

The Job Guarantee would really help too. They say how can we afford it, but how can we not do?

Fortunately, neuroplasticity remains functional throughout life and adults can change as well. 

Children born into poverty show key differences in early brain function - according to new research from the University of East Anglia.

Researchers studied the brain function of children aged between four months and four years in rural India.

They found that children from lower-income backgrounds, where mothers also had a low level of education, had weaker brain activity and were more likely to be distracted.

Lead researcher Prof John Spencer, from UEA's School of Psychology, said: "Each year, 250 million children in low and middle income countries fail to reach their developmental potential.

There is therefore a growing need to understand the global impact of poverty on early brain and behavioural development.
"Although the impact of adversity on brain development can trap children in an intergenerational cycle of poverty, the massive potential for brain plasticity is also a source of hope.

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Alina Shrourou - Children born into poorer backgrounds show key differences in early brain function, finds study