Where people live may leave a measurable imprint on their brains, according to new research published in Radiology, the journal of the Radiological Society of North America.
Researchers analysed nearly 3,000 brain MRI scans from patients aged between 18 and 96. They compared brain measures with an Area Deprivation Index (ADI) score, a neighbourhood-level measure of socioeconomic disadvantage based on factors including income, education, employment and housing. The index describes the conditions of a place rather than the circumstances of any individual resident.
