Honored to be named the runner-up for the Science & PINS Prize for Neuromodulation, with my essay now published by @science.org science.org/doi/10.1126/... The essay lays out how mapping the brain's functional circuits lets us move neuromodulation from deep toward the brain surface.

From @ndosenbach.bsky.social @washuneurology.bsky.social, @smarek0502.bsky.social @washu.edu and team: A family’s financial situation + neighborhood resources/opportunities had the strongest connection to brain development, and IQ had no correlation with brain structure/function.

Socioeconomic factors linked to lasting imprint in kids’ brains | WashU Medicine

Sleep, screen time and stress — but not IQ — are also linked to children’s brain features.

bit.ly

"The classic brain-IQ association largely disappeared when socioeconomic status was properly accounted for... children’s brains vary the most with SES, potentially through SES-dependent sleep deprivation and stress" www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Patterns of brain-wide associations reflect socioeconomics

Previous brain-wide association studies (BWAS) have linked specific environmental and behavioral variables to brain variability. In this work, we mapped 649 variables to children’s brains and compared...

science.org

What's the bottom line? @smarek0502.bsky.social on @smerconish.bsky.social about what affects children's brains the most science.org/doi/10.1126/...

What's the bottom line? @smarek0502.bsky.social on @smerconish.bsky.social about what affects children's brains the most science.org/doi/10.1126/...

$$$ is more strongly associated with the brain than IQ: science.org/doi/10.1126/... @smarek0502 @smerconish

$$$ is more strongly associated with the brain than IQ: science.org/doi/10.1126/... @smarek0502 @smerconish

Someone asked for stats comparing the two panels, which made me realize they hadn't paid attention to the axis labels. So I replotted the data with a tweaked logic. If the model predicts the variable it was trained on better left upper triangle, if it predicts the other better right lower. 💥💥💥 Boom!

Nico Dosenbach@ndosenbach.bsky.social · 2mo ago

We've known that socioeconomics (SES) matters for the 🧠. New & 🤯 is that SES drowns out all other brain associations, incl. IQ. If you train an algorithm to predict IQ from brain data, it's still way better at predicting SES. Science Mag: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... @smarek0502.bsky.social 👀🧵👇

We've known that socioeconomics (SES) matters for the 🧠. New & 🤯 is that SES drowns out all other brain associations, incl. IQ. If you train an algorithm to predict IQ from brain data, it's still way better at predicting SES. Science Mag: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... @smarek0502.bsky.social 👀🧵👇

Scott Marek@smarek0502.bsky.social · 2mo ago

What matters most for childhood brain organization? We analyzed 649 variables. The answer: Socioeconomics (SES); with brain patterns pointing at sleep & stress as drivers. Even brain-IQ associations were better explained by SES. In Science today: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Thanks @ariellekeller.bsky.social ! And yes, please check out the amazing perspective by @lucindasisk.bsky.social and @ted-satterthwaite.bsky.social!

Arielle Keller@ariellekeller.bsky.social · 2mo ago

The evidence is clear: socioeconomic conditions play an *enormous* role in brain development Amazing work by @smarek0502.bsky.social &co doi.org/10.1126/science.aee6213 +perspective by @lucindasisk.bsky.social & @ted-satterthwaite.bsky.social doi.org/10.1126/science.aei3393 #neuroskyence #PsychSky

What matters most for childhood brain organization? We analyzed 649 variables. The answer: Socioeconomics (SES); with brain patterns pointing at sleep & stress as drivers. Even brain-IQ associations were better explained by SES. In Science today: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...