The impact of a monthly unconditional cash transfer on child brain activity: A 4-year follow-up
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Early childhood poverty is associated with neurodevelopmental differences, but causal evidence linking income to brain development is sparse. In the present study, we examine whether four years of monthly unconditional cash transfers to mothers experiencing low income cause differences in their preschoolers’ brain activity. Shortly after giving birth, mothers were randomized to receive $333/month or $20/month for the first several years of their child’s life as a part of the Baby’s First Years study. Here we report on the impact of these cash gifts on resting brain electric activity recorded at 4 years of age as measured by electroencephalography (EEG). We find no impact on our primary preregistered outcome (an aggregated index of mid-to-high-frequency brain activity) or our secondary preregistered outcome frontal gamma power. We did find, in additional exploratory analyses that were part of our pre-registered analytic plan, that preschoolers in the high-cash gift group had higher alpha power compared to those in the low-cash gift group. There were no differences in theta, beta, or gamma power between groups. Although the primary and secondary preregistered outcomes showed no group differences our exploratory analyses provide some evidence for impacts on children’s alpha power during the preschool years, although this evidence needs further investigation and replication. • The Baby’s First Years trial examines the impact of cash gifts on child development • Here we report whether 4 years of gifts impact resting EEG activity • No impact on primary preregistered outcome (index of higher-frequency power) • No impact on secondary preregistered outcome of frontal gamma power • No differences in theta, beta, or gamma and some evidence for alpha power
Authors: Sonya V. Troller-Renfree, Molly A. Costanzo, Greg J. Duncan, Katherine Magnuson, Lisa A. Gennetian, Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Sarah R. Black, Debra S. Karhson, Michael K. Georgieff, Jennifer Mize Nelson, Timothy D. Nelson, Nathan A. Fox, Kimberly G. Noble
Institutions: Columbia University, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Institute for Research on Poverty, University of California, Irvine, Duke University, New York University, Kent State University, LSU New Orleans, University of Minnesota, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, University of Maryland, College Park
Language: English
Subfield: Safety Research
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,650
Funders: Ford Foundation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Simons Foundation, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Esther A. and Joseph Klingenstein Fund, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, Weitz Family Foundation: Feed the Body, Feed the Mind, Feed the Spirit, Bernice E. Holland Foundation, Brady Education Foundation, University of Michigan, JPB Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Heising-Simons Foundation, Holland Foundation, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Sherwood Foundation, Valhalla Foundation, Jacobs Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Bezos Family Foundation, Greater New Orleans Foundation
Awards: G1040350596, G2647627408, G2792376153, G3096547426, G315337751, G3336718144, G370745795, G4409359701, G455457223, G4744581300, Household Income and Child Development in the First Three Years of Life, G6864599649, Teachers College, Columbia University - to support research which will assess how income supports for families affect the cognitive, emotional and brain development of infants and toddler..., G7054422707, G7533623907
OpenAlex ID: W7124148346