Sownok Barua
Research Mentor(s): Luke Hyde
Mentor Department: CHGD
Authors: Sownok Barua, Allison LaMonica , Luke Hyde
Session: Session 4 (1:00pm – 1:50pm)
Presentation Type: Poster 92
Abstract
Childhood poverty is a significant factor that plays a role in socio-emotional and cognitive development. Although significant, the effects of neighborhood disadvantage on the adolescent brain remains understudied. The Michigan Twin Neurogenetics Study (MTwiNS) researches those overlooked implications of early childhood exposure to neighborhood poverty in between the ages of 6 to 19, a period during which brain architecture is formed. Neuroimaging data from the longitudinal twin study investigates the impact of the environment on brain development and brain network organization. To determine such a connection, various neuroimaging, survey, and statistical methods were employed. The study utilized functional MRI (fMRI) to assess neural connectivity patterns and structural MRI to measure volumetric and cortical thickness changes in key brain regions associated with cognition and emotion regulation. Additionally, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to evaluate white matter integrity and the development of neural pathways over time. In the present study, neighborhood poverty was shown to affect the growth of brain networks as it relates to critical and emotional regulation networks. Focusing on the understudied area of childhood poverty is essential to understanding healthy brain development and to enhance the outcomes of children raised in underprivileged environments.
