Neuroanatomical correlates of the income-achievement gap

• Autores: Allyson P. Mackey, Amy S. Finn, Julia A. Leonard, Drew S. Jacoby-Senghor, Martin R. West, Christopher F.O. Gabrieli, John D.E. Gabrieli
• Localización: Psychological Science, ISSN-e 1467-9280, Vol. 26, Nº. 6, 2015, págs. 925-933
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • In the United States, the difference in academic achievement between higher- and lower-income students (i.e., the income-achievement gap) is substantial and growing. In the research reported here, we investigated neuroanatomical correlates of this gap in adolescents (N = 58) in whom academic achievement was measured by statewide standardized testing. Cortical gray-matter volume was significantly greater in students from higher-income backgrounds (n = 35) than in students from lower-income backgrounds (n = 23), but cortical white-matter volume and total cortical surface area did not differ significantly between groups. Cortical thickness in all lobes of the brain was greater in students from higher-income than lower-income backgrounds. Greater cortical thickness, particularly in temporal and occipital lobes, was associated with better test performance. These results represent the first evidence that cortical thickness in higher- and lower-income students differs across broad swaths of the brain and that cortical thickness is related to scores on academic-achievement tests.