Neuroscientists have recently been looking at how childhood socioeconomic status and maltreatment during childhood affects the development of the brain (click here). Amongst other things, low socioeconomic status and childhood maltreatment can result in deficits in working memory, impaired cognition, a smaller hippocampus, and a larger amygdala. The question for social scientists is whether early intervention or government policy can somehow improve things for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
