Researchers have linked satellite data with brain scans, revealing the profound impact of urban environments on child brain development and mental health. The findings underscore the importance of environmental factors during critical developmental periods.
A new study has unveiled a critical connection between environmental factors and brain development in young people, leveraging satellite data and brain imaging to reveal how urban environments impact mental health and cognition.
The research, published in the journal Nature Mental Health, is a collaboration led by experts from the tri-institutional Center for Translational Research in Neuroimaging and Data Science (TReNDS Center) at Georgia State University and New Light Technologies.
The study represents a significant advance in understanding how specific environmental conditions can affect the brains of young individuals.
“The findings highlight the importance of the urban environment in mental health. We see a critical window during childhood and adolescence where environmental factors can shape future cognitive and behavioral development,” senior author and principal investigator Vince Calhoun, a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar and Distinguished University Professor of Psychology at Georgia State, said in a news release.
The researchers utilized a dataset from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, the largest ongoing study on child brain development in the United States, analyzing data from 11,800 children across 21 U.S. cities.
By integrating fMRI imaging with satellite data, including the locations of study participants, the researchers robustly identified how the physical environment influences cognition and mental health outcomes in children aged 9-10.
Lead author Ran Goldblatt, a chief scientist at New Light Technologies, explained that researchers used satellite observations capturing different types of land cover, land use and nocturnal light emissions. These “UrbanSat” data, combined with neuroimaging and behavioral measures, provided valuable insights.
“The ABCD dataset provides a unique opportunity for a much deeper understanding of associations between a range of indicators of the complex physical urban environment and their impacts on mental health,” added Goldblatt. “This dataset also allows us to observe dynamic environmental changes and their impact on mental health over time, pinpointing specific interventions to boost mental well-being in various communities.”
The analysis highlighted how urban land use, including light pollution and building density, is related to socioeconomic factors such as parental education and household income. Areas with more nighttime light and buildings generally had lower education and income levels, while regions with more greenery tended to have higher socioeconomic status.
“With the precise, objective measurements of environmental aspects such as green spaces, the density of urban areas and water bodies, the ABCD dataset can enrich our understanding of how physical surroundings impact brain activity through diverse complex physiological, psychological and social processes,” added Calhoun, who also leads the collaborative TReNDS Center and holds faculty appointments at Georgia Tech and Emory University. “In this new study, we see that unique environmental and physical features may impact the extent and patterns of the brain’s gray and white matter and its functional network connectivity.”
The international, interdisciplinary team also included experts from universities and research institutions in Germany, New Jersey, New York, California, Oklahoma, China and Berlin.