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Abstract #3159

Early Childhood Home Environment Predicts Frontal and Temporal Cortical Thickness in the Young Adult Brain

Brian B. Avants1, Gwen Lawson1, James Gee1, Martha Farah1, Hallam Hurt2

1University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States; 2Children's hospital of philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, United States

The brain depends upon early nurturance and environmental input to sculpt and prune its extensive neural architecture as it develops. However, the impact of childhood experience on brain development is not well understood. we examine the relationship between age 4 mea- sures of a childs home environment and cortical thickness derived from T1-weighted MRI. This study is the first to document a neural substrate that is specifically sensitive to normal variation in overall quality of early childhood experience.

Keywords

adult adulthood advanced adversity anatomy anisotropy ants assessment association associations available background brain brooks cage child childhood children chronic cognition cognitive cohort component components comprehension consequences control controls cortical critical deprivation derived develop development diffusion dimensionality direct directly distribution early economic employed enhanced enrichment environment environmental established experience experiencing extract female females fractional frontal function gage gender home hospital human humans hurt hypothesis identify impact implemented independently individuals influenced influences intervention investigate language leads leverages lifelong little lobe long longterm male males maternal measurable measure measured measures model models network networks neural neuroanatomy normalization open outcome parental participants past perhaps powerful predicts presence processing psychological publicly quality quantify questionnaire reduced reduction related revealed review sets significantly source specifically statistical statistically status stimulating stimulation strategies stronger structural structure studies subject subjects subsets substantial subtle suggests summarized temporal tensor term timing tools treated trio underwent unique variation variations variety vector verbal whether young