A recent study conducted by Boston Medical Center (BMC) revealed that infants living in neighborhoods with greater educational and socioeconomic opportunities tend to exhibit higher brain activity levels. The study, published in The Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, indicates that improving neighborhood opportunities, especially in education, can have a positive impact on early childhood development.
A group of researchers focused on early childhood development explored the relationship between neighborhood opportunities – encompassing socioeconomic, educational, health, and environmental factors relevant to child health and development – and infant brain activity and cognitive growth. The findings suggested that infants raised in neighborhoods with more opportunities demonstrated enhanced brain function at six months old. Moreover, areas with better educational resources were linked to improved cognition levels by the time the infants reached 12 months of age.
According to Dr. Mei Elansary, a developmental behavioral pediatrician at BMC and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, “This study underscores the significance of neighborhoods in early child development. The results indicate that focusing on enhancing neighborhood opportunities, such as increasing access to quality education, can aid in promoting child neurodevelopment.”
The research team gathered data from 65 infants attending community pediatric practices in Boston and Los Angeles. They investigated whether the connection between neighborhood opportunities and children’s cognitive development at 12 months old could be elucidated by variances in brain activity levels at six months as measured through electroencephalography (EEG). Cognitive development was gauged using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL), a standardized developmental assessment based on play activities.
The researchers discovered that neighborhoods with higher opportunity levels were correlated with elevated absolute EEG power in infants at six months within mid- to high-frequency bands. These EEG patterns were associated with improved language and cognitive scores later in childhood, suggesting that residing in neighborhoods with more opportunities during early life may play a protective role in brain development.
Additionally, the study revealed that neighborhoods offering increased educational opportunities were linked with higher MSEL scores, signifying that areas with better educational resources, such as quality center-based care, could provide more opportunities for children to engage in activities that stimulate cognition and support their development.
Dr. Elansary emphasized the need for a shift in focus from examining the impact of socioeconomic disparities on child development to exploring solutions that enhance the early childhood environments for children’s development and address inequalities. Furthermore, considering the strong association between race, ethnicity, and access to high-opportunity neighborhoods, efforts should be made to ensure all families have access to these resources.
