Lewis Lydia, Gresham Bria, Riegelman Amy, Ip Ka I
Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, United States.
Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, United States; Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, United States; Department of Psychology and Biobehavioral Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, United States.
Dev Cogn Neurosci. 2025 Jul 25;75:101600. doi: 10.1016/j.dcn.2025.101600.
The neighborhood context is increasingly recognized as a significant determinant of health. Advances in geospatial analysis and neuroimaging have facilitated an emerging field of research investigating how neighborhood conditions influence brain development. We conducted a systematic review, identifying 37 studies that examined associations between neighborhood conditions and brain structure in children and adolescents. We highlight key findings and research gaps across multiple domains of neighborhood conditions - socioeconomic status, demographic composition, social environment, built environment, physical environment, and health resources. Our review suggests that adverse neighborhood socioeconomic conditions are linked to structural brain differences, including reduced brain volume and white matter, and smaller surface areas. Additionally, observed race-related disparities in brain structures may be partially explained by residence in low-resourced neighborhoods, underscoring the role of structural inequities in shaping neurodevelopment. The majority of studies relied on the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study dataset, limiting the generalizability of findings. Critically, neighborhood conditions beyond socioeconomic status remain understudied, offering opportunities for future research to examine how positive conditions (e.g., social cohesion, greenspace, health resources) may foster neurodevelopment. This review emphasizes the urgent need for policies to reduce structural inequities while leveraging protective neighborhood conditions to promote equity and youth neurodevelopment.
邻里环境越来越被认为是健康的一个重要决定因素。地理空间分析和神经成像技术的进步推动了一个新兴研究领域的发展，该领域旨在研究邻里环境如何影响大脑发育。我们进行了一项系统综述，确定了37项研究，这些研究考察了儿童和青少年的邻里环境与大脑结构之间的关联。我们强调了邻里环境多个领域的关键发现和研究空白——社会经济地位、人口构成、社会环境、建筑环境、物理环境和卫生资源。我们的综述表明，不利的邻里社会经济条件与大脑结构差异有关，包括脑容量和白质减少以及表面积变小。此外，观察到的大脑结构中与种族相关的差异可能部分归因于居住在资源匮乏的社区，这突出了结构不平等在塑造神经发育中的作用。大多数研究依赖于青少年大脑认知发展研究数据集，限制了研究结果的普遍性。至关重要的是，除社会经济地位之外的邻里环境仍未得到充分研究，这为未来研究提供了机会，以探讨积极条件（如社会凝聚力、绿地、卫生资源）如何促进神经发育。本综述强调迫切需要制定政策，以减少结构不平等，同时利用保护性的邻里环境来促进公平和青少年神经发育。
