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Wilkey ED, Gupta I, Peiris A, Ansari D. The mathematical brain at rest. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2022.101246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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Andin J, Elwér Å, Mäki‐Torkko E. Arithmetic in the signing brain: Differences and similarities in arithmetic processing between deaf signers and hearing non-signers. J Neurosci Res 2023; 101:172-195. [PMID: 36259315 PMCID: PMC9828253 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Deaf signers and hearing non-signers have previously been shown to recruit partially different brain regions during simple arithmetic. In light of the triple code model, the differences were interpreted as relating to stronger recruitment of the verbal system of numerical processing, that is, left angular and inferior frontal gyrus, in hearing non-signers, and of the quantity system of numerical processing, that is, right horizontal intraparietal sulcus, for deaf signers. The main aim of the present study was to better understand similarities and differences in the neural correlates supporting arithmetic in deaf compared to hearing individuals. Twenty-nine adult deaf signers and 29 hearing non-signers were enrolled in an functional magnetic resonance imaging study of simple and difficult subtraction and multiplication. Brain imaging data were analyzed using whole-brain analysis, region of interest analysis, and functional connectivity analysis. Although the groups were matched on age, gender, and nonverbal intelligence, the deaf group performed generally poorer than the hearing group in arithmetic. Nevertheless, we found generally similar networks to be involved for both groups, the only exception being the involvement of the left inferior frontal gyrus. This region was activated significantly stronger for the hearing compared to the deaf group but showed stronger functional connectivity with the left superior temporal gyrus in the deaf, compared to the hearing, group. These results lend no support to increased recruitment of the quantity system in deaf signers. Perhaps the reason for performance differences is to be found in other brain regions not included in the original triple code model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josefine Andin
- Department of Behavioural Sciences and LearningLinköping UniversityLinköpingSweden
| | - Åsa Elwér
- Department of Behavioural Sciences and LearningLinköping UniversityLinköpingSweden
| | - Elina Mäki‐Torkko
- Audiological Research Center, Faculty of Medicine and HealthÖrebro UniversityÖrebroSweden
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Skagenholt M, Skagerlund K, Träff U. Neurodevelopmental differences in task-evoked number network connectivity: Comparing symbolic and nonsymbolic number discrimination in children and adults. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2022; 58:101159. [PMID: 36209551 PMCID: PMC9550600 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2022.101159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Revised: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Numerical cognition can take place in multiple representational formats, such as Arabic digits (e.g., 1), verbal number words (e.g., "two"), and nonsymbolic (e.g., •••) numerical magnitude. Basic numerical discrimination abilities are key factors underlying the development of arithmetic abilities, acting as an important developmental precursor of adult-level numeracy. While prior research has begun to detail the neural correlates associated with basic numerical discrimination skills in different representational formats, the interactions between functional neural circuits are less understood. A growing body of evidence suggests that the functional networks recruited by number discrimination tasks differ between children and adults, which may provide valuable insights into the development of numerical cognition. To this end, we posed two questions: how do the interactions between functional circuits associated with number processing differ in children and adults? Are differences in functional network connectivity modulated by numerical representational codes? A theoretically motivated 22 ROI analysis indicated significant functional connectivity differences between children and adults across all three codes. Adults demonstrated sparser and more consistent connectivity patterns across codes, indicative of developmental domain-specialization for number processing. Although neural activity in children and adults is similar, the functional connectivity supporting number processing appears subject to substantial developmental maturation effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikael Skagenholt
- Department of Behavioral Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden,Department of Management and Engineering, JEDI-Lab, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden,Correspondence to: Department of Behavioral Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, SE-58183 Linköping, Sweden.
| | - Kenny Skagerlund
- Department of Behavioral Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden,Department of Management and Engineering, JEDI-Lab, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden,Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience (CSAN), Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Ulf Träff
- Department of Behavioral Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
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Abreu-Mendoza RA, Pincus M, Chamorro Y, Jolles D, Matute E, Rosenberg-Lee M. Parietal and hippocampal hyper-connectivity is associated with low math achievement in adolescence - A preliminary study. Dev Sci 2021; 25:e13187. [PMID: 34761855 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Revised: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Mathematical cognition requires coordinated activity across multiple brain regions, leading to the emergence of resting-state functional connectivity as a method for studying the neural basis of differences in mathematical achievement. Hyper-connectivity of the intraparietal sulcus (IPS), a key locus of mathematical and numerical processing, has been associated with poor mathematical skills in childhood, whereas greater connectivity has been related to better performance in adulthood. No studies to date have considered its role in adolescence. Further, hippocampal connectivity can predict mathematical learning, yet no studies have considered its contributions to contemporaneous measures of math achievement. Here, we used seed-based resting-state fMRI analyses to examine IPS and hippocampal intrinsic functional connectivity relations to math achievement in a group of 31 adolescents (mean age = 16.42 years, range 15-17), whose math performance spanned the 1% to 99% percentile. After controlling for IQ, IPS connectivity was negatively related to math achievement, akin to findings in children. However, the specific temporo-occipital regions were more akin to the posterior loci implicated in adults. Hippocampal connectivity with frontal regions was also negatively correlated with concurrent math measures, which contrasts with results from learning studies. Finally, hyper-connectivity was not a global feature of low math performance, as math performance did not modulate connectivity of Heschl's gyrus, a control seed not involved in math cognition. Our results provide preliminary evidence that adolescence is a transitional stage in which patterns found in childhood and adulthood can be observed; most notably, hyper-connectivity continues to be related to low math ability into this period.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Melanie Pincus
- Department of Psychology, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark, New Jersey, USA
| | - Yaira Chamorro
- Instituto de Neurociencias, CUCBA, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, México
| | - Dietsje Jolles
- Department of Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Esmeralda Matute
- Instituto de Neurociencias, CUCBA, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, México
| | - Miriam Rosenberg-Lee
- Department of Psychology, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark, New Jersey, USA.,Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark, New Jersey, USA
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Skagerlund K, Skagenholt M, Hamilton PJ, Slovic P, Västfjäll D. Investigating the Neural Correlates of the Affect Heuristic Using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. J Cogn Neurosci 2021; 33:2265-2278. [PMID: 34272946 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
This study investigated the neural correlates of the so-called "affect heuristic," which refers to the phenomenon whereby individuals tend to rely on affective states rather than rational deliberation of utility and probabilities during judgments of risk and utility of a given event or scenario. The study sought to explore whether there are shared regional activations during both judgments of relative risk and relative benefit of various scenarios, thus being a potential candidate of the affect heuristic. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we developed a novel risk perception task, based on a preexisting behavioral task assessing the affect heuristic. A whole-brain voxel-wise analysis of a sample of participants (n = 42) during the risk and benefit conditions revealed overlapping clusters in the left insula, left inferior frontal gyrus, and left medial frontal gyrus across conditions. Extraction of parameter estimates of these clusters revealed that activity of these regions during both tasks was inversely correlated with a behavioral measure assessing the inclination to use the affect heuristic. More activity in these areas during risk judgments reflect individuals' ability to disregard momentary affective impulses. The insula may be involved in integrating viscero-somatosensory information and forming a representation of the current emotional state of the body, whereas activity in the left inferior frontal gyrus and medial frontal gyrus indicates that executive processes may be involved in inhibiting the impulse of making judgments in favor of deliberate risk evaluations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Paul Slovic
- Decision Research, Eugene, OR.,University of Oregon
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Skagenholt M, Skagerlund K, Träff U. Neurodevelopmental differences in child and adult number processing: An fMRI-based validation of the triple code model. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2021; 48:100933. [PMID: 33582487 PMCID: PMC7890357 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2021.100933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Revised: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 10/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The triple code model of numerical cognition (TCM) details the neurocognitive mechanisms associated with perceiving and manipulating numerical information in exact symbolic (Arabic digits and number words) and approximate nonsymbolic numerical magnitude (e.g., dot arrays) representation codes. The current study provides a first empirical fMRI-based investigation into neurodevelopmental differences in 30 healthy children's and 44 healthy adults' recruitment of neural correlates associated with the Arabic digit, number word, and nonsymbolic magnitude codes. Differences between the two groups were found in cingulate regions commonly associated with domain-general aspects of cognitive control, as opposed to neural correlates of number processing per se. A primary developmental difference was identified in verbal number discrimination, where only adults recruited left-lateralized perisylvian language areas in accordance with the TCM. We therefore call for a revision of the verbal code and a formulation of separate child and adult-specific neurocognitive mechanisms associated with the discrimination of number words. Although further research is necessary, results indicate that numerical discrimination abilities in middle-school-aged children operate close to adult-level maturity. Neurodevelopmental differences may be more apparent in younger children, or on the level of functional network dynamics as opposed to a shift in recruited neural substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikael Skagenholt
- Department of Behavioral Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden; Department of Management and Engineering, JEDI-Lab, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
| | - Kenny Skagerlund
- Department of Behavioral Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden; Department of Management and Engineering, JEDI-Lab, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden; Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience (CSAN), Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Ulf Träff
- Department of Behavioral Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
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Anomal RF, Brandão DS, Porto SB, de Oliveira SS, de Souza RFL, Fiel JDS, Gomes BD, Pires IAH, Pereira A. The role of frontal and parietal cortex in the performance of gifted and average adolescents in a mental rotation task. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0232660. [PMID: 32401804 PMCID: PMC7219753 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0232660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2018] [Accepted: 04/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual-spatial abilities are usually neglected in academic settings, even though several studies have shown that their predictive power in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics domains exceeds that of math and verbal ability. This neglect means that many spatially talented youths are not identified and nurtured, at a great cost to society. In the present work, we aim to identify behavioral and electrophysiological markers associated with visual spatial-ability in intellectually gifted adolescents (N = 15) compared to age-matched controls (N = 15). The participants performed a classic three-dimensional mental rotation task developed by Shepard and Metzler (1971) [33] while event-related potentials were measured in both frontal and parietal regions of interest. While response time was similar in the two groups, gifted subjects performed the test with greater accuracy. There was no indication of interhemispheric asymmetry of ERPs over parietal regions in both groups, although interhemispheric differences were observed in the frontal lobes. Moreover, intelligence quotient and working memory measures predicted variance in ERP’s amplitude in the right parietal and frontal hemispheres. We conclude that while gifted adolescents do not display a different pattern of electroencephalographic activity over the parietal cortex while performing the mental rotation task, their performance is correlated with the amplitude of ERPs in the frontal cortex during the execution of this task.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Silvia Beltrame Porto
- Department of Psychology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal (RN), Brazil
| | | | | | - José de Santana Fiel
- Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, Institute of Technology, Federal University of Pará, Belém (PA), Brazil
| | | | | | - Antonio Pereira
- Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, Institute of Technology, Federal University of Pará, Belém (PA), Brazil
- * E-mail:
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Andin J, Elwér Å, Mäki-Torkko E. Arithmetic in the adult deaf signing brain. J Neurosci Res 2019; 98:643-654. [PMID: 31803973 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2019] [Revised: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
We have previously shown that deaf signers recruit partially different brain regions during simple arithmetic compared to a group of hearing non-signers, despite similar performance. Specifically, hearing individuals show more widespread activation in brain areas that have been related to the verbal system of numerical processing, i.e., the left angular and inferior frontal gyrus, whereas deaf individuals engaged brain areas that have been related to the quantity system of numerical processing, i.e., the right horizontal intraparietal sulcus. This indicates that compared to hearing non-signers, deaf signers can successfully make use of processes located in partially different brain areas during simple arithmetic. In this study, which is a conceptual replication and extension of the above-presented study, the main aim is to understand similarities and differences in neural correlates supporting arithmetic in deaf compared to hearing individuals. The primary objective is to investigate the role of the right horizontal intraparietal gyrus, the left inferior frontal gyrus, the hippocampus, and the left angular gyrus during simple and difficult arithmetic and how these regions are connected to each other. A second objective is to explore what other brain regions support arithmetic in deaf signers. Up to 34 adult deaf signers and the same amount of hearing non-signers will be enrolled in an functional magnetic resonance imaging study that will include simple and difficult subtraction and multiplication. Brain imaging data will be analyzed using whole-brain analysis, region of interest analysis and connectivity analysis. This is the first study to investigate neural underpinnings of arithmetic of different difficulties in deaf individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josefine Andin
- Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.,Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Åsa Elwér
- Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Elina Mäki-Torkko
- Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.,Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
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