Zhou Lan, Cai Tianying, Ip Ka I
Cognitive Neuroscience Center, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
Institute of Child Development, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Biol Psychiatry Glob Open Sci. 2025 May 12;5(5):100533. doi: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100533. eCollection 2025 Sep.
Access to essential neighborhood opportunities (e.g., quality education, nutritious foods, clean air) is critical for development, but the influence of these factors on neurocognition remains unclear. Leveraging the ABCD (Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development) Study, we examined associations between neighborhood opportunity, cognitive function, and brain structure.
Participants were 10,463 (ages 9-10 years) children. Neighborhood opportunity was measured by the Child Opportunity Index (COI 2.0), which assesses educational, health/environmental, and social/economic opportunities. Cognitive function was measured via the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery, and T1-weighted imaging provided brain structural measures.
Youths living in higher-opportunity neighborhoods exhibited better performance across all cognitive measures (β = 0.11-0.37, < .001) and larger whole-brain gray matter volume (β = 0.10, < .001), surface area (β = 0.06, < .001), cortical thickness (β = 0.11, < .001), and specific brain volume regions implicated in cognitive function. These associations persisted after controlling for demographic and household factors (e.g., material hardship, family conflict, and parental education). Relative weight analyses revealed that socioeconomic neighborhood opportunities had the strongest influence on cognitive function (33.35%-51.56%) and brain measures (48.95%-60.98%), although educational and health/environmental opportunities also contributed uniquely. Structural equation modeling found that whole-brain gray matter volume and surface area mediated the relationship between COI and cognitive outcomes at the 2-year follow-up, with regional effects in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex.
Neighborhood opportunity is a critical factor that shapes neurocognitive development, beyond effects of household-level indicators and neighborhood deprivation. The findings highlight the importance of using an asset-based approach to understand how multiple neighborhood resources may foster neurocognitive development and advance health equity for youth.
获得基本的社区机会（如优质教育、营养食品、清洁空气）对发展至关重要，但这些因素对神经认知的影响仍不清楚。利用青少年大脑认知发展（ABCD）研究，我们研究了社区机会、认知功能和脑结构之间的关联。
参与者为10463名9至10岁的儿童。社区机会通过儿童机会指数（COI 2.0）来衡量，该指数评估教育、健康/环境和社会/经济机会。认知功能通过美国国立卫生研究院工具箱认知电池进行测量，T1加权成像提供脑结构测量数据。
生活在机会更多社区的青少年在所有认知测量中表现更好（β = 0.11 - 0.37，P <.001），全脑灰质体积更大（β = 0.10，P <.001）、表面积更大（β = 0.06，P <.001）、皮质厚度更大（β = 0.11，P <.001），以及与认知功能相关的特定脑区体积更大。在控制了人口统计学和家庭因素（如物质困难、家庭冲突和父母教育程度）后，这些关联仍然存在。相对权重分析表明，社区社会经济机会对认知功能（33.35% - 51.56%）和脑测量（48.95% - 60.98%）的影响最强，尽管教育和健康/环境机会也有独特贡献。结构方程模型发现，在2年随访时，全脑灰质体积和表面积介导了COI与认知结果之间的关系，在背外侧前额叶皮质和前扣带回皮质有区域效应。
社区机会是塑造神经认知发展的关键因素，超越了家庭层面指标和社区剥夺的影响。研究结果强调了采用基于资产的方法来理解多种社区资源如何促进神经认知发展并推动青少年健康公平的重要性。
