The neural differences of arithmetic verification performance depend on math skill: Evidence from event-related potential

Temporal-spatial deciphering mental subtraction in the human brain

Mental subtraction, involving numerical processing and operation, requires a complex interplay among several brain regions. Diverse studies have utilized scalp electroencephalograph, electrocorticogram, or functional magnetic resonance imaging to resolve the structure pattern and functional activity during subtraction operation. However, a high resolution of the spatial-temporal understanding of the neural mechanisms involved in mental subtraction is unavailable. Thus, this study obtained intracranial stereoelectroencephalography recordings from 20 patients with pharmacologically resistant epilepsy. Specifically, two sample-delayed mismatch paradigms of numeric comparison and subtracting results comparison were used to help reveal the time frame of mental subtraction. The brain sub-regions were chronologically screened using the stereoelectroencephalography recording for mental subtraction. The results indicated that the anterior cortex, containing the frontal, insular, and parahippocampous, worked for preparing for mental subtraction; moreover, the posterior cortex, such as parietal, occipital, limbic, and temporal regions, cooperated during subtraction. Especially, the gamma band activities in core regions within the parietal-cingulate-temporal cortices mediated the critical mental subtraction. Overall, this research is the first to describe the spatiotemporal activities underlying mental subtraction in the human brain. It provides a comprehensive insight into the cognitive control activity underlying mental arithmetic.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11571-023-09937-z.

Development is in the details: Event-related theta oscillations reveal children and adults verify multiplication facts differently

When verifying the correctness of single-digit multiplication problems, children and adults show a robust ERP correctness effect thought to reflect similar cognitive processes across groups. Recent studies suggest that this effect is instead a modulation of the negative-going N400 component in children, reflecting access to semantic memory, and the positive-going P300 component in adults, reflecting stimulus categorization. However, the relative difference in ERP amplitude is the same for both components, more positive for correct than incorrect solutions, presenting a challenge to ascertaining the appropriate interpretation. Time-frequency analysis (TFA) of the N400/P300 window provides an objective approach to dissociating these effects. TFA measured from solution onset during single-digit multiplication verification revealed significant modulations of event-related as theta power (3-6 Hz) in both groups. Correct trials elicit less power in children (9-12 years) and more power in adults relative to incorrect trials. These findings are consistent with modulations of the N400 and P300, respectively, where opposite effects were predicted for spectral power. The ERP results further support a reinterpretation of the multiplication correctness effect. In contrast, TFA of the N400 effect elicited to a word-picture verification task revealed the same event-related theta effect in both groups, with increased power for mismatched than matched pictures. Together, these findings provide evidence for a developmental shift in cognitive processing specific to the multiplication task. Models of arithmetic should account for this overlooked difference in cognitive processing between children and adults.

Early neural markers for individual difference in mathematical achievement determined from rational number processing

The neural markers for individual differences in mathematical achievement have been studied extensively using magnetic resonance imaging; however, high temporal resolution electrophysiological evidence for individual differences in mathematical achievement require further elucidation. This study evaluated the event-related potential (ERP) when 48 college students with high or low mathematical achievement (HA vs. LA) matched non-symbolic and symbolic rational numbers. Behavioral results indicated that HA students had better performance in the discretized non-symbolic matching, although the two groups showed similar performances in the continuous matching. ERP data revealed that even before non-symbolic stimulus presentation, HA students had greater Bereitschaftspotential (BP) amplitudes over posterior central electrodes. After the presentation of non-symbolic numbers, HA students had larger N1 amplitudes at 160 ms post-stimulus, over left-lateralized parieto-occipital electrodes. After the presentation of symbolic numbers, HA students displayed more profound P1 amplitudes at 100 ms post-stimulus, over left parietal electrodes. Furthermore, larger BP and N1 amplitudes were associated with the shorter reaction times, and larger P1 amplitudes corresponded to lower error rates. The BP effect could indicate preparation processing, and early left-lateralized N1 and P1 effects could reflect the non-symbolic and symbolic number processing along the dorsal neural pathways. These results suggest that the left-lateralized P1 and N1 components elicited by matching non-symbolic and symbolic rational numbers can be considered as neurocognitive markers for individual differences in mathematical achievement.

The neural differences of arithmetic verification performance depend on math skill: Evidence from event-related potential

AIM

Math skill is a basic need for an individual, as a career prospect. However, little is known about early brain processes of arithmetic between individuals with different math skill. Therefore, we questioned the modulation of the amplitude of an early negative component by math skill level in an arithmetic verification paradigm using event-related potential (ERP).

METHODS

Thirty-six right-handed participants were assigned in two groups of high- and low-performing students. Their electroencephalogram was recorded while they completed an arithmetic verification task. Simple arithmetic operands were made by random digits from 1 to 9. Addition and subtraction operations were equally used in correct and incorrect responses. The accuracy scores, reaction times, and peak amplitude of the negativity in 200-400 ms time window were analyzed.

RESULTS

The high-performing group showed significantly higher response speeds, and they were more accurate than the low-performing group. The group × region interaction effect was significant. The high-performing group showed a significantly greater negativity, particularly in parietal region, while the low-performing group showed a significantly deeper negativity in frontal and prefrontal region. In the low-performing group, there were significant peak amplitude differences between the anterior and posterior areas. However, such differences were not detected in the high-performing group.

CONCLUSION

Students with different mathematical performance showed distinct patterns in early processing of arithmetic verification, as reflected by differences in negativity at 200-400 ms at anterior and posterior. This suggests that ERPs could be used to differentiate math mastery at neural level which is beneficial in educational and clinical contexts.