Erika Skoe|Jennifer Krizman|Nina Kraus
The Impoverished Brain: Disparities in Maternal Education Affect the Neural Response to Sound
Institute of Neurobiology|Northwestern University
despite prevalence poverty worldwide little known early socioeconomic adversity affects auditory brain function socioeconomically disadvantaged children underexposed linguistically cognitively stimulating environments overexposed environmental toxins including noise pollution kind sensory impoverishment theorize extensive repercussions brain processes sound characterize impoverishment affects auditory brain function compared two groups normalhearing human adolescents attended schools matched age sex ethnicity differed maternal education level correlate socioeconomic status ses addition lower literacy levels cognitive abilities adolescents lower maternal education backgrounds found noisier neural activity classmates reflected greater activity absence auditory stimulation additionally lower maternal education group neural response speech erratic repeated stimulation lower fidelity input signal weaker variable noisier responses suggestive inefficient auditory system studying ses within neuroscientific framework potential expand understanding experience molds brain addition informing intervention research aimed closing achievement gap highses lowses children