Mackey Allyson P, Finn Amy S, Leonard Julia A, Jacoby-Senghor Drew S, West Martin R, Gabrieli Christopher F O, Gabrieli John D E
Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Psychol Sci. 2015 Jun;26(6):925-33. doi: 10.1177/0956797615572233. Epub 2015 Apr 20.
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.
在美国，高收入和低收入学生之间的学业成绩差异（即收入-成绩差距）很大且在不断扩大。在本文所报告的研究中，我们调查了青少年（N = 58）中这种差距的神经解剖学相关性，这些青少年的学业成绩通过全州范围的标准化测试来衡量。来自高收入背景的学生（n = 35）的皮质灰质体积显著大于来自低收入背景的学生（n = 23），但皮质白质体积和总皮质表面积在两组之间没有显著差异。来自高收入背景的学生大脑所有脑叶的皮质厚度都大于低收入背景的学生。更大的皮质厚度，尤其是颞叶和枕叶的皮质厚度，与更好的测试成绩相关。这些结果首次证明，高收入和低收入学生的皮质厚度在大脑的广泛区域存在差异，并且皮质厚度与学业成绩测试分数相关。
