The research is clear: Childrens’ developing brains are permanently altered by the corrosive effects of poverty.

But a new study published last month in Nature Communications suggests these effects can be mitigated when families have more resources. In states with more generous safety-net programs, children from low-income families have brains that are closer in size to their wealthier peers.

Using existing data from the national Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development study, researchers at Harvard University and Washington University in St. Louis compared more than 10,000 children, ages 9-11, who lived across 17 states. The data showed that children from families with lower income levels were more likely to have a smaller hippocampus — the section of the brain responsible for learning and memory — and were also more likely to have mental health challenges.

Read the full article about cash aid by Ariel Gilreath at The Hechinger Report.