Children whose mothers are nurturing by nature have a larger hippocampus -- a structure in the brain that plays an integral role in learning and memory.

Researchers from washington university school of medicine conducted brain scans on nearly one hundred school-age children.

They found those who had been nurtured had a hippocampus nearly ten percent larger than those whose mothers were not as loving.

The researchers say the results likely apply to other caregivers -- like fathers, grandparents and adoptive parents.

The study authors determined if parents were "nurturing" during a series of in-person tests.