A recent study done by JAMA Pediatrics presents evidence that structural brain differences due to childhood poverty may account for up to 20 percent of the academic achievement gap. After analyzing hundreds of MRIs, a common link was made: the amount of grey matter in areas responsible for functions related to learning. Grey matter is the part of the brain that processes information. It contains structures that process signals and directs a stimuli to the central nervous system that responds to the signals. Additionally, glial cells in the grey matter determine how well neurons function and communicate.

Because grey matter is directly related to the way information is processed, the amount of grey matter observed in an MRI can tell a whole story. Those who have less grey matter than average will have a harder time processing information, retaining knowledge, and succeeding academically than those who have as much as or more than average. The JAMA Pediatrics study showed that students who grew up in a poor household had lower amounts of grey matter than their more affluent peers.

In America, the federal poverty line is an annual income of roughly $24,000 for a family of four. The students from below the poverty line who participated in the study showed grey matter volumes 7-10 percent lower than anticipated for normal development at their age. In America, roughly 20 percent of children live under the poverty line.

This means that it’s biologically harder for students living in poverty to achieve the same level of academic success as their affluent classmates. They have a disadvantage from the beginning in that structurally it’s harder for them to process information. That being said, it is most definitely not impossible. Scientists have significant amounts of strong evidence that there is room for brain plasticity all the way through adulthood. Thus, with the right resources and circumstances, students who grew up/are living in poverty can close the gap and even exceed the academic success of their affluent peers.

This study is by no means an irrefutable claim to the causes of the academic gap between rich and poor. However, it does open the door for more research to be conducted in this area. It gives insight as to the number of possible reasons for the gap and shows citizens that there is more to the academic differences based on income and wealth.