Extra Cash for Low-Income Mothers May Influence Baby Brains

New research suggests giving extra cash to low-income mothers can change their infants’ brain development.

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FILE - This April 3, 2019, file photo shows U.S. currency in New York. U.S. scientists have shown that payments to reduce poverty can enhance infants’ brain development in the first rigorous study of its kind. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
Image via AP Photo/Mark Lennihan

This article was republished here with permission from The Associated Press, however it is no longer available to read on Snopes.com.

New research suggests giving extra cash to low-income mothers can change their infants’ brain development. Brain measurements at age 1 showed faster activity in key brain regions in infants whose low-income families received $300-plus monthly for a year, compared with those who got $20 each month, U.S. researchers reported Monday. The same type of brain activity has been linked in older children to learning skills and other development, although it’s unclear whether the differences found…

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