Giving Moms Money Can Boost Babies’ Brain Activity, Study Finds

A study of 1,000 low-income mother-infant groups published Monday by the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences shows that giving mothers an unrestricted cash gift of $333 each month can lead to increased brain activity in their children.

A 9-month old boy is wearing a stimulator.

Oli Scarff is a photographer.

The researchers measured the brain activity of healthy 1-year-olds whose families received $333 per month for a year.

Most of the mothers in the study were from New York City, New Orleans, Minneapolis–Saint Paul, and greater Omaha areas.

The $333 monthly gift boosted participants' income by 20% because they reported an average annual household income of over $20,000.

A group of infants whose families received only $20 a month did not show the same gains as those in the $333 group.

Columbia University, Duke University, New York University, University of California Irvine, University of Maryland, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison are all associated with the researchers.

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Drawing a link between poverty and brain function has been more difficult than it has been before. The Census Bureau says that child poverty is on the rise in the U.S. The Child Tax Credit, which offered families up to $3,600 per child, expired in December. The Child Tax Credit program is central to the opposition of the Build Back Better Act by Sen. Joe Manchin. According to unnamed sources cited by ABC and the Huffington Post, Manchin believed that parents might waste Child Tax Credit payments on drugs. According to the Census Bureau survey, families spent Child Tax Credit payments on food and child care.

The quote is crucial.

A University of Pennsylvania neuroscientist told the New York Times that the study was a big scientific finding. It is proof that giving the families more money leads to better brain development.

There were over 11 million. According to the Census Bureau, how many children in the U.S. are living in poverty.

There was aContra.

Researchers told the New York Times that the gains in children's brain activity were similar to moving from 81st to 75th in a line of 100 people. The bill to give families $300 per month was premature, according to Harvard neuroscientist Dr. Charles A. Nelson.

Cash Aid to Poor Mothers Improves Brain Function in Babies.

According to Forbes, nearly 1 in 10 US adults are going hungry before child tax credit ends.