Research out of Washington University School of Medicine that was published in the journal Pediatrics in October of 2013 looked at the effect of poverty on the brain development of 145 kids using MRIs. They did a study measuring the stress level of a mother and her child and then correlated this with MRI changes that revealed less white and gray matter in the brain as well as smaller amygdalas and hippocampi. These changes are associated with lifelong problems that included learning disabilities, depression, and the inability to deal with stress. Children who live in poverty were found to experience more stressful events in their lives.
