London - Children who live apart from their parents for long periods as they grow up are likely to have a lower IQ than those who live with mom and dad, a study suggests.
It found that the brains of youngsters left without direct parental care for more than six months mature at a slower rate, with a detrimental impact on intelligence.
They had larger volumes of grey matter, a major component of the central nervous system, in the brain.
As this may reflect insufficient pruning and maturity of the brain, the negative correlation between the grey matter volume and IQ scores suggests that growing up without parental care may delay brain development.
The study of children aged seven to 13 was conducted in China where millions of workers leave their children with relatives in pursuit of better jobs.
The findings will be presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.
Daily Mail