Children born into poverty show key differences in early brain function, according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA). Therefore, there is a growing need to understand the global impact of poverty on early brain and behavioural development.”He explained that previous work has shown that poverty and early adversities significantly impact brain development, contributing to a vicious cycle of poverty. But few studies have looked at brain function early in development. Using a portable ‘functional near infrared spectroscopy’ (fNIRS) device, they measured the brain activity of 42 children aged between four months and four years in rural settings. They investigated the children’s ‘visual working memory’ — or how well they are able to store visual information and detect changes in the visual environment when they occur.

Source: The Hindu April 02, 2019 17:03 UTC