Luby et al. (prevalence rates)

Question 1

key terms

Answer 1

socioeconomic status
neuroplasticity
hippocampus

Question 2

aim

Answer 2

to see if there is a correlation between poverty and brain development and if mediating variables like parent-child interactions and stressful life events could explain this relationship

Question 3

method

Answer 3

parent-child (gift & questionnaire)
level of poverty (parent’s income)
stressful life events (questionnaires and interviews)

these variables compared with brain volume (MRI scans)

Question 4

results

Answer 4

the more positive the parent child interactions, the higher hippocampus volume

negative correlation between socioeconomic status and hippocampal volume, the poorer the child, the smaller hippocampi

Question 5

conclusion

Answer 5

shows how childhood experiences can affect the development of important parts of the brain

children from lower socioeconomic status usually had a smaller hippocampi, which has studied to potentially be a pre-existing risk factor for the development of PTSD (Gilbertson et al.) this could lead to a rise in prevalence rates of disorders like PTSD in people who experienced stress in their childhood to an extent that their hippocampi did not develop properly and is more prone to the disorder