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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2021.07.28.454131

Human brain anatomy reflects separable genetic and environmental components of socioeconomic status

Kweon, H.·Aydogan, G.·Dagher, A.·Bzdok, D.·Ruff, C. C.·Nave, G.·Farah, M. J.·Koellinger, P. D.
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Abstract

Recent studies report that socioeconomic status (SES) correlates with brain structure. Yet, such findings are variable and little is known about underlying causes. We present a well-powered voxel-based analysis of grey matter volume (GMV) across levels of SES, finding many small SES effects widely distributed across the brain, including cortical, subcortical and cerebellar regions. We also construct a polygenic index of SES to control for the additive effects of common genetic variation related to SES, which attenuates observed SES-GMV relations, to different degrees in different areas. Remaining variance, which may be attributable to environmental factors, is substantially accounted for by body mass index, a marker for lifestyle related to SES. In sum, SES affects multiple brain regions through measurable genetic and environmental effects. One-sentence SummarySocioeconomic status is linked with brain anatomy through a varying balance of genetic and environmental influences.

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Kweon, H., Aydogan, G., Dagher, A., Bzdok, D., Ruff, C. C., Nave, G., Farah, M. J., Koellinger, P. D.. 2021-07-29. Human brain anatomy reflects separable genetic and environmental components of socioeconomic status. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.07.28.454131

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