Decoding the role of the cerebellum in the early stages of reading acquisition

The neural correlates of individual differences in numerosity perception: A voxel-based morphometry study

Numerosity perception is a fundamental cognitive function in humans and animals. Using an individual difference approach with a comprehensive dataset (N = 249), we performed a voxel-based morphometry analysis to unravel the neuroanatomical substrates associated with individual differences in numerosity perception sensitivity, measured by a classical non-symbolic numerical judgment task. Results showed that greater gray matter volume (GMV) in the left cerebellum, right temporal pole, and right parahippocampal was positively correlated to higher perceptual sensitivity to numerosity. In contrast, the GMV in the left intraparietal sulcus, and bilateral precentral/postcentral gyrus was negatively correlated to the sensitivity of numerosity perception. These findings indicate that a wide range of brain structures, rather than a specific anatomical structure or circuit, forms the neuroanatomical basis of numerosity perception, lending support to the emerging network view of the neural representation of numerosity. This work contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of how the brain processes numerical information.

•Unveils neuroanatomical basis of numerosity perception •Discovers positive and negative greater GMV correlations •Links GMV in a wide range of brain regions to numerical sensitivity •Supports the network view of the neural representation of numerosity perception

The selective contributions of right cerebellar lobules to reading

The engagement of the cerebellum during reading tasks is not unprecedented. However, it is still unclear which regions in the cerebellum are specifically involved in reading and how the cerebellum processes different languages. With functional magnetic resonance imaging, we compared the cerebellar neural activity in Chinese child learners of English between reading and non-reading tasks to identify functionally specialized areas for reading, and between Chinese characters and English words in a passive viewing paradigm to detect regions sensitive to different scripts. Two posterior subregions of right lobule VI, as well as right lobule VIIIA, demonstrated greater activation to viewing Chinese characters and English words compared to the non-reading tasks. However, we did not find any cerebellar regions that were differentially responsive to Chinese versus English print. Instead, we observed that functional connectivity between the two above-mentioned cerebellar regions (lobules VI and VIIIA) and the left inferior parietal lobule was significantly greater in English reading compared to Chinese reading. Overall, these results indicate that the posterior parts of right lobule VI and the right lobule VIIIA could be reading-specific regions, and deepen our understanding of how the cerebellum contributes to reading.