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Xie Y, Chang H, Zhang Y, Wang C, Zhang Y, Chen L, Geng F, Ku Y, Menon V, Chen F. Long-term abacus training gains in children are predicted by medial temporal lobe anatomy and circuitry. Dev Sci 2024; 27:e13489. [PMID: 38421061 PMCID: PMC11161333 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Abacus-based mental calculation (AMC) is a widely used educational tool for enhancing math learning, offering an accessible and cost-effective method for classroom implementation. Despite its universal appeal, the neurocognitive mechanisms that drive the efficacy of AMC training remain poorly understood. Notably, although abacus training relies heavily on the rapid recall of number positions and sequences, the role of memory systems in driving long-term AMC learning remains unknown. Here, we sought to address this gap by investigating the role of the medial temporal lobe (MTL) memory system in predicting long-term AMC training gains in second-grade children, who were longitudinally assessed up to fifth grade. Leveraging multimodal neuroimaging data, we tested the hypothesis that MTL systems, known for their involvement in associative memory, are instrumental in facilitating AMC-induced improvements in math skills. We found that gray matter volume in bilateral MTL, along with functional connectivity between the MTL and frontal and ventral temporal-occipital cortices, significantly predicted learning gains. Intriguingly, greater gray matter volume but weaker connectivity of the posterior parietal cortex predicted better learning outcomes, offering a more nuanced view of brain systems at play in AMC training. Our findings not only underscore the critical role of the MTL memory system in AMC training but also illuminate the neurobiological factors contributing to individual differences in cognitive skill acquisition. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at https://youtu.be/StVooNRc7T8. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: We investigated the role of medial temporal lobe (MTL) memory system in driving children's math learning following abacus-based mental calculation (AMC) training. AMC training improved math skills in elementary school children across their second and fifth grade. MTL structural integrity and functional connectivity with prefrontal and ventral temporal-occipital cortices predicted long-term AMC training-related gains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Xie
- Bio-X Laboratory, School of Physics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, PR China
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, United States
- Center for Brain and Mental Well-being, Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, PR China
| | - Hyesang Chang
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, United States
| | - Yi Zhang
- Bio-X Laboratory, School of Physics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, PR China
- State Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Instrumentation, College of Optical Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, PR China
| | - Chunjie Wang
- Bio-X Laboratory, School of Physics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, PR China
- Institute of Brain Science and Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121, PR China
| | - Yuan Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, United States
| | - Lang Chen
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, United States
- Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA 95053, United States
| | - Fengji Geng
- Department of Curriculum and Learning Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, PR China
- Children’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Hangzhou, 310003, PR China
| | - Yixuan Ku
- Center for Brain and Mental Well-being, Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, PR China
- Peng Cheng Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518040, PR China
| | - Vinod Menon
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, United States
- Department of Neurology & Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, United States
- Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, United States
| | - Feiyan Chen
- Bio-X Laboratory, School of Physics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, PR China
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Sarma R, Willis N, Holthaus TA, Cannavale CN, Gibbs HD, Khan N. Memory Abilities Are Selectively Related to Food Label and Numeracy Nutrition Skills. JOURNAL OF NUTRITION EDUCATION AND BEHAVIOR 2023; 55:861-868. [PMID: 37921796 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneb.2023.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Revised: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE We investigated the relationship between nutrition literacy, diet quality, carotenoid status, and cognition. METHODS Adults aged 37.5 ± 17.0 years (n = 52) completed the 42-item Nutrition Literacy Assessment Instrument (NLit). The Dietary History Questionnaire III was analyzed to determine the Healthy Eating Index. Skin carotenoids were assessed as a diet quality biomarker. Selective attention, relational memory, and pattern separation abilities were assessed using the flanker, spatial reconstruction, and mnemonic similarity tasks, respectively. Statistical adjustments included age, sex, education, and body mass index. RESULTS No correlations were observed for NLit scores and NLit subscales with Healthy Eating Index and skin carotenoid status. However, the NLit's food label and numeracy subscale was related to greater pattern separation abilities (ρ = 0.33, r2 = 0.11, P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Comprehension of food labels and numeracy information was associated with memory abilities. Future work is needed to test whether targeting working memory and attentional processes during memory retrieval in larger samples may facilitate the acquisition of nutrition knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rhea Sarma
- Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL
| | - Nathaniel Willis
- Division of Nutritional Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL
| | - Tori A Holthaus
- Division of Nutritional Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL
| | | | - Heather D Gibbs
- Department of Dietetics and Nutrition, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS
| | - Naiman Khan
- Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL; Division of Nutritional Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL; Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL.
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Liu J, Chang H, Abrams DA, Kang JB, Chen L, Rosenberg-Lee M, Menon V. Atypical cognitive training-induced learning and brain plasticity and their relation to insistence on sameness in children with autism. eLife 2023; 12:e86035. [PMID: 37534879 PMCID: PMC10550286 DOI: 10.7554/elife.86035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) often display atypical learning styles; however, little is known regarding learning-related brain plasticity and its relation to clinical phenotypic features. Here, we investigate cognitive learning and neural plasticity using functional brain imaging and a novel numerical problem-solving training protocol. Children with ASD showed comparable learning relative to typically developing children but were less likely to shift from rule-based to memory-based strategy. While learning gains in typically developing children were associated with greater plasticity of neural representations in the medial temporal lobe and intraparietal sulcus, learning in children with ASD was associated with more stable neural representations. Crucially, the relation between learning and plasticity of neural representations was moderated by insistence on sameness, a core phenotypic feature of ASD. Our study uncovers atypical cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying learning in children with ASD, and informs pedagogical strategies for nurturing cognitive abilities in childhood autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Liu
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States
| | - Hyesang Chang
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States
| | - Daniel A Abrams
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States
| | - Julia Boram Kang
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States
| | - Lang Chen
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States
- Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, United States
| | - Miriam Rosenberg-Lee
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States
- Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, Newark, United States
| | - Vinod Menon
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States
- Department of Neurology & Neurological Sciences, Stanford Neurosciences Institute, Stanford, United States
- Stanford Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States
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Skagenholt M, Lyons IM, Skagerlund K, Träff U. Connectome-based predictive modeling indicates dissociable neurocognitive mechanisms for numerical order and magnitude processing in children. Neuropsychologia 2023; 184:108563. [PMID: 37062424 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2023]
Abstract
Symbolic numbers contain information about their relative numerical cardinal magnitude (e.g., 2 < 3) and ordinal placement in the count-list (e.g., 1, 2, 3). Previous research has primarily investigated magnitude discrimination skills and their predictive capacity for math achievement, whereas numerical ordering has been less systematically explored. At approximately 10-12 years of age, numerical order processing skills have been observed to surpass cardinal magnitude discrimination skills as the key predictor of arithmetic ability. The neurocognitive mechanisms underlying this shift remain unclear. To this end, we investigated children's (ages 10-12) neural correlates of numerical order and magnitude discrimination, as well as task-based functional connectomes and their predictive capacity for numeracy-related behavioral outcomes. Results indicated that number discrimination uniquely relied on bilateral temporoparietal correlates, whereas order processing recruited the bilateral IPS, cerebellum, and left premotor cortex. Connectome-based models were not cross-predictive for numerical order and magnitude, suggesting two dissociable mechanisms jointly supported by visuospatial working memory. Neural correlates of learning and memory were predictive of age and arithmetic ability, only for the ordinal task-connectome, indicating that the numerical order mechanism may undergo a developmental shift, dissociating it from mechanisms supporting cardinal number processing.
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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.
| | - Ian M Lyons
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington D.C, USA
| | - 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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Klein E, Knops A. The two-network framework of number processing: a step towards a better understanding of the neural origins of developmental dyscalculia. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2023; 130:253-268. [PMID: 36662281 PMCID: PMC10033479 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-022-02580-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Developmental dyscalculia is a specific learning disorder that persists over lifetime and can have an enormous impact on personal, health-related, and professional aspects of life. Despite its central importance, the origin both at the cognitive and neural level is not yet well understood. Several classification schemas of dyscalculia have been proposed, sometimes together with an associated deficit at the neural level. However, these explanations are (a) not providing an exhaustive framework that is at levels with the observed complexity of developmental dyscalculia at the behavioral level and (b) are largely mono-causal approaches focusing on gray matter deficits. We suggest that number processing is instead the result of context-dependent interaction of two anatomically largely separate, distributed but overlapping networks that function/cooperate in a closely integrated fashion. The proposed two-network framework (TNF) is the result of a series of studies in adults on the neural correlates underlying magnitude processing and arithmetic fact retrieval, which comprised neurofunctional imaging of various numerical tasks, the application of probabilistic fiber tracking to obtain well-defined connections, and the validation and modification of these results using disconnectome mapping in acute stroke patients. Emerged from data in adults, it represents the endpoint of the acquisition and use of mathematical competencies in adults. Yet, we argue that its main characteristics should already emerge earlier during development. Based on this TNF, we develop a classification schema of phenomenological subtypes and their underlying neural origin that we evaluate against existing propositions and the available empirical data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise Klein
- LaPsyDÉ, UMR CNRS 8240, Université Paris Cité, La Sorbonne, 46 Rue Saint-Jacques, 75005, Paris, France.
- Leibniz-Institut Fuer Wissensmedien Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.
| | - André Knops
- LaPsyDÉ, UMR CNRS 8240, Université Paris Cité, La Sorbonne, 46 Rue Saint-Jacques, 75005, Paris, France
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Bengochea M, Hassan B. Numerosity as a visual property: Evidence from two highly evolutionary distant species. Front Physiol 2023; 14:1086213. [PMID: 36846325 PMCID: PMC9949967 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1086213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Most animals, from humans to invertebrates, possess an ability to estimate numbers. This evolutionary advantage facilitates animals' choice of environments with more food sources, more conspecifics to increase mating success, and/or reduced predation risk among others. However, how the brain processes numerical information remains largely unknown. There are currently two lines of research interested in how numerosity of visual objects is perceived and analyzed in the brain. The first argues that numerosity is an advanced cognitive ability processed in high-order brain areas, while the second proposes that "numbers" are attributes of the visual scene and thus numerosity is processed in the visual sensory system. Recent evidence points to a sensory involvement in estimating magnitudes. In this Perspective, we highlight this evidence in two highly evolutionary distant species: humans and flies. We also discuss the advantages of studying numerical processing in fruit flies in order to dissect the neural circuits involved in and required for numerical processing. Based on experimental manipulation and the fly connectome, we propose a plausible neural network for number sense in invertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bassem Hassan
- *Correspondence: Mercedes Bengochea, ; Bassem Hassan,
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Ng R, Bjornsson HT, Fahrner JA, Harris J. Unique profile of academic learning difficulties in Wiedemann-Steiner syndrome. JOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY RESEARCH : JIDR 2023; 67:101-111. [PMID: 36437529 PMCID: PMC9839653 DOI: 10.1111/jir.12993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Wiedemann-Steiner syndrome (WSS) is a rare genetic disorder caused by heterozygous variants in KMT2A. To date, the cognitive profile associated with WSS remains largely unknown, although emergent case series implicate increased risk of non-verbal reasoning and visual processing deficits. This study examines the academic and learning concerns associated with WSS based on a parent-report screening measure. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS A total of 25 parents of children/adults with a molecularly-confirmed diagnosis of WSS (mean age = 12.85 years, SD = 7.82) completed the Colorado Learning Difficulties Questionnaire (CLDQ), a parent-screening measure of learning and academic difficulties. Parent ratings were compared to those from a normative community sample to determine focal areas in Math, Reading and Spatial skills that may be weaker within this clinical population. RESULTS On average, parent ratings on the Math (mean Z = -3.08, SD = 0.87) and Spatial scales (mean Z = -2.52, SD = 0.85) were significantly more elevated than that of Reading (mean Z = -1.31, SD = 1.46) (Wilcoxon sign rank test Z < -3.83, P < 0.001), reflecting relatively more challenges observed in these areas. Distribution of parent ratings in Math items largely reflect a positively skewed distribution with most endorsing over three standard deviations below a community sample. In contrast, distributions of parent ratings in Reading and Spatial domains were more symmetric but flat. Ratings for Reading items yielded much larger variance than the other two domains, reflecting a wider range of performance variability. CONCLUSIONS Parent ratings on the CLDQ suggest more difficulties with Math and Spatial skills among those with WSS within group and relative to a community sample. Study results are consistent with recent case reports on the neuropsychological profile associated with WSS and with Kabuki syndrome, which is caused by variants in the related gene KMT2D. Findings lend support for overlapping cognitive patterns across syndromes, implicating potential common disease pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rowena Ng
- Kennedy Krieger Institute
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
| | - Hans Tomas Bjornsson
- Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Reykjavik
- Landspitali University Hospital
| | - Jill A. Fahrner
- Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
| | - Jacqueline Harris
- Kennedy Krieger Institute
- Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
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Liu J, Chang H, Abrams DA, Kang JB, Chen L, Rosenberg-Lee M, Menon V. Atypical cognitive training-induced learning and brain plasticity and their relation to insistence on sameness in children with autism. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.25.525594. [PMID: 36747659 PMCID: PMC9900852 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.25.525594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often display atypical learning styles, however little is known regarding learning-related brain plasticity and its relation to clinical phenotypic features. Here, we investigate cognitive learning and neural plasticity using functional brain imaging and a novel numerical problem-solving training protocol. Children with ASD showed comparable learning relative to typically developing children but were less likely to shift from rule-based to memory-based strategy. Critically, while learning gains in typically developing children were associated with greater plasticity of neural representations in the medial temporal lobe and intraparietal sulcus, learning in children with ASD was associated with more stable neural representations. Crucially, the relation between learning and plasticity of neural representations was moderated by insistence on sameness, a core phenotypic feature of ASD. Our study uncovers atypical cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying learning in children with ASD, and informs pedagogical strategies for nurturing cognitive abilities in childhood autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Liu
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Hyesang Chang
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Daniel A. Abrams
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Julia Boram Kang
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Lang Chen
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA 95053
| | - Miriam Rosenberg-Lee
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07102
| | - Vinod Menon
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Neurology & Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
- Stanford Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
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Boeken OJ, Markett S. Systems-level decoding reveals the cognitive and behavioral profile of the human intraparietal sulcus. FRONTIERS IN NEUROIMAGING 2023; 1:1074674. [PMID: 37555176 PMCID: PMC10406318 DOI: 10.3389/fnimg.2022.1074674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The human intraparietal sulcus (IPS) covers large portions of the posterior cortical surface and has been implicated in a variety of cognitive functions. It is, however, unclear how cognitive functions dissociate between the IPS's heterogeneous subdivisions, particularly in perspective to their connectivity profile. METHODS We applied a neuroinformatics driven system-level decoding on three cytoarchitectural distinct subdivisions (hIP1, hIP2, hIP3) per hemisphere, with the aim to disentangle the cognitive profile of the IPS in conjunction with functionally connected cortical regions. RESULTS The system-level decoding revealed nine functional systems based on meta-analytical associations of IPS subdivisions and their cortical coactivations: Two systems-working memory and numeric cognition-which are centered on all IPS subdivisions, and seven systems-attention, language, grasping, recognition memory, rotation, detection of motions/shapes and navigation-with varying degrees of dissociation across subdivisions and hemispheres. By probing the spatial overlap between systems-level co-activations of the IPS and seven canonical intrinsic resting state networks, we observed a trend toward more co-activation between hIP1 and the front parietal network, between hIP2 and hIP3 and the dorsal attention network, and between hIP3 and the visual and somatomotor network. DISCUSSION Our results confirm previous findings on the IPS's role in cognition but also point to previously unknown differentiation along the IPS, which present viable starting points for future work. We also present the systems-level decoding as promising approach toward functional decoding of the human connectome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ole Jonas Boeken
- Department of Molecular Psychology, Institute for Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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10
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de Morais VAC, de Oliveira-Pinto AV, Mello Neto AF, Freitas JS, da Silva MM, Suemoto CK, Leite RP, Grinberg LT, Jacob-Filho W, Pasqualucci C, Nitrini R, Caramelli P, Lent R. Resilience of Neural Cellularity to the Influence of Low Educational Level. Brain Sci 2023; 13:brainsci13010104. [PMID: 36672086 PMCID: PMC9857353 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13010104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Revised: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Education is believed to contribute positively to brain structure and function, as well as to cognitive reserve. One of the brain regions most impacted by education is the medial temporal lobe (MTL), a region that houses the hippocampus, which has an important role in learning processes and in consolidation of memories, and is also known to undergo neurogenesis in adulthood. We aimed to investigate the influence of education on the absolute cell numbers of the MTL (comprised by the hippocampal formation, amygdala, and parahippocampal gyrus) of men without cognitive impairment. METHODS The Isotropic Fractionator technique was used to allow the anisotropic brain tissue to be transformed into an isotropic suspension of nuclei, and therefore assess the absolute cell composition of the MTL. We dissected twenty-six brains from men aged 47 to 64 years, with either low or high education. RESULTS A significant difference between groups was observed in brain mass, but not in MTL mass. No significant difference was found between groups in the number of total cells, number of neurons, and number of non-neuronal cells. Regression analysis showed that the total number of cells, number of neurons, and number of non-neuronal cells in MTL were not affected by education. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate a resilience of the absolute cellular composition of the MTL of typical men to low schooling, suggesting that the cellularity of brain regions is not affected by formal education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viviane A. Carvalho de Morais
- Neuroplasticity Laboratory, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil
| | - Ana V. de Oliveira-Pinto
- Neuroplasticity Laboratory, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil
| | - Arthur F. Mello Neto
- Neuroplasticity Laboratory, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil
| | - Jaqueline S. Freitas
- Neuroplasticity Laboratory, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil
| | - Magnólia M. da Silva
- Biobank for Aging Studies, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 01246-903, SP, Brazil
| | - Claudia Kimie Suemoto
- Biobank for Aging Studies, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 01246-903, SP, Brazil
| | - Renata P. Leite
- Biobank for Aging Studies, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 01246-903, SP, Brazil
| | - Lea T. Grinberg
- Memory and Aging Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Wilson Jacob-Filho
- Biobank for Aging Studies, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 01246-903, SP, Brazil
- Laboratory of Medical Research in Aging (LIM-66), Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 01246-903, SP, Brazil
| | - Carlos Pasqualucci
- Biobank for Aging Studies, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 01246-903, SP, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Nitrini
- Biobank for Aging Studies, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 01246-903, SP, Brazil
| | - Paulo Caramelli
- Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology Research Group, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 30130-100, MG, Brazil
| | - Roberto Lent
- Neuroplasticity Laboratory, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil
- D’Or Institute of Research and Education, Rio de Janeiro 22281-100, RJ, Brazil
- Correspondence:
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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] [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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12
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Chang H, Chen L, Zhang Y, Xie Y, de Los Angeles C, Adair E, Zanitti G, Wassermann D, Rosenberg-Lee M, Menon V. Foundational Number Sense Training Gains Are Predicted by Hippocampal-Parietal Circuits. J Neurosci 2022; 42:4000-4015. [PMID: 35410879 PMCID: PMC9097592 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1005-21.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of mathematical skills in early childhood relies on number sense, the foundational ability to discriminate among quantities. Number sense in early childhood is predictive of academic and professional success, and deficits in number sense are thought to underlie lifelong impairments in mathematical abilities. Despite its importance, the brain circuit mechanisms that support number sense learning remain poorly understood. Here, we designed a theoretically motivated training program to determine brain circuit mechanisms underlying foundational number sense learning in female and male elementary school-age children (7-10 years). Our 4 week integrative number sense training program gradually strengthened the understanding of the relations between symbolic (Arabic numerals) and nonsymbolic (sets of items) representations of quantity. We found that our number sense training program improved symbolic quantity discrimination ability in children across a wide range of math abilities including children with learning difficulties. Crucially, the strength of pretraining functional connectivity between the hippocampus and intraparietal sulcus, brain regions implicated in associative learning and quantity discrimination, respectively, predicted individual differences in number sense learning across typically developing children and children with learning difficulties. Reverse meta-analysis of interregional coactivations across 14,371 fMRI studies and 89 cognitive functions confirmed a reliable role for hippocampal-intraparietal sulcus circuits in learning. Our study identifies a canonical hippocampal-parietal circuit for learning that plays a foundational role in children's cognitive skill acquisition. Findings provide important insights into neurobiological circuit markers of individual differences in children's learning and delineate a robust target for effective cognitive interventions.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Mathematical skill development relies on number sense, the ability to discriminate among quantities. Here, we develop a theoretically motivated training program and investigate brain circuits that predict number sense learning in children during a period important for acquisition of foundational cognitive skills. Our integrated number sense training program was effective in children across a wide a range of math abilities, including children with learning difficulties. We identify hippocampal-parietal circuits that predict individual differences in learning gains. Our study identifies a brain circuit critical for the acquisition of foundational cognitive skills, which will be useful for developing effective interventions to remediate learning disabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyesang Chang
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305
| | - Lang Chen
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305
- Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California 95053
| | - Yuan Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305
| | - Ye Xie
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305
- Department of Physics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
- Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Carlo de Los Angeles
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305
| | - Emma Adair
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305
| | - Gaston Zanitti
- Parietal, Inria Saclay Île-de-France, Campus de l'École Polytechnique, Université Paris-Sud, Palaiseau 91120, France
| | - Demian Wassermann
- Parietal, Inria Saclay Île-de-France, Campus de l'École Polytechnique, Université Paris-Sud, Palaiseau 91120, France
| | - Miriam Rosenberg-Lee
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305
- Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey 07102
| | - Vinod Menon
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305
- Department of Neurology & Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305
- Stanford Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305
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13
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Lazzaro G, Fucà E, Caciolo C, Battisti A, Costanzo F, Varuzza C, Vicari S, Menghini D. Understanding the Effects of Transcranial Electrical Stimulation in Numerical Cognition: A Systematic Review for Clinical Translation. J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11082082. [PMID: 35456176 PMCID: PMC9032363 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11082082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/02/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Atypical development of numerical cognition (dyscalculia) may increase the onset of neuropsychiatric symptoms, especially when untreated, and it may have long-term detrimental social consequences. However, evidence-based treatments are still lacking. Despite plenty of studies investigating the effects of transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) on numerical cognition, a systematized synthesis of results is still lacking. In the present systematic review (PROSPERO ID: CRD42021271139), we found that the majority of reports (20 out of 26) showed the effectiveness of tES in improving both number (80%) and arithmetic (76%) processing. In particular, anodal tDCS (regardless of lateralization) over parietal regions, bilateral tDCS (regardless of polarity/lateralization) over frontal regions, and tRNS (regardless of brain regions) strongly enhance number processing. While bilateral tDCS and tRNS over parietal and frontal regions and left anodal tDCS over frontal regions consistently improve arithmetic skills. In addition, tACS seems to be more effective than tDCS at ameliorating arithmetic learning. Despite the variability of methods and paucity of clinical studies, tES seems to be a promising brain-based treatment to enhance numerical cognition. Recommendations for clinical translation, future directions, and limitations are outlined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Lazzaro
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00146 Rome, Italy; (G.L.); (E.F.); (C.C.); (A.B.); (F.C.); (C.V.); (S.V.)
| | - Elisa Fucà
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00146 Rome, Italy; (G.L.); (E.F.); (C.C.); (A.B.); (F.C.); (C.V.); (S.V.)
| | - Cristina Caciolo
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00146 Rome, Italy; (G.L.); (E.F.); (C.C.); (A.B.); (F.C.); (C.V.); (S.V.)
| | - Andrea Battisti
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00146 Rome, Italy; (G.L.); (E.F.); (C.C.); (A.B.); (F.C.); (C.V.); (S.V.)
- Department of Human Science, LUMSA University, 00193 Rome, Italy
| | - Floriana Costanzo
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00146 Rome, Italy; (G.L.); (E.F.); (C.C.); (A.B.); (F.C.); (C.V.); (S.V.)
| | - Cristiana Varuzza
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00146 Rome, Italy; (G.L.); (E.F.); (C.C.); (A.B.); (F.C.); (C.V.); (S.V.)
| | - Stefano Vicari
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00146 Rome, Italy; (G.L.); (E.F.); (C.C.); (A.B.); (F.C.); (C.V.); (S.V.)
- Department of Life Science and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
- Centro di Riabilitazione Casa San Giuseppe, Opera Don Guanella, 00165 Rome, Italy
| | - Deny Menghini
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00146 Rome, Italy; (G.L.); (E.F.); (C.C.); (A.B.); (F.C.); (C.V.); (S.V.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-066-859-7091
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14
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Li M, Shang X, Liu N, Pan X, Han F. Knowledge Management in Relationship Among Abusive Management, Self-Efficacy, and Corporate Performance Under Artificial Intelligence. JOURNAL OF GLOBAL INFORMATION MANAGEMENT 2022. [DOI: 10.4018/jgim.307067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The purpose is to explore the application potential of HCI (Human-Computer Interaction) technology under AI (Artificial Intelligence) in enterprise performance evaluation and the influence of abusive management and self-efficacy on enterprise performance. Guided by psychological theory, employees from a listed real estate enterprise are selected, and the research themes of abusive management, self-efficacy, and employee performance are assumed. Afterward, the employee job satisfaction and performance evaluation model and system interface based on deep learning BPNN (BackPropagation Neural Network), SVM (Support Vector Machine) regression, and HCI are innovatively proposed. The results show that the HCI interface can be accessed accurately according to the employee's verbal instructions. BPNN model has reached the best performance at the iteration of 70times, and all indexes have reached the expected employee satisfaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moye Li
- Key Laboratory of Island Tourism Resource Data Mining and Monitoring, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Sanya, China
| | | | - Na Liu
- Liaocheng University, China
| | - Xingchen Pan
- Business School, Gansu University of Political Science and Law, Gansu, China
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15
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Exploring the Relationship between Abusive Management, Self-Efficacy and Organizational Performance in the Context of Human–Machine Interaction Technology and Artificial Intelligence with the Effect of Ergonomics. SUSTAINABILITY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/su14041949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
(1) Background: Our study aims to explore the impact of abusive management and self-efficacy on corporate performance in the context of artificial intelligence-based human–machine interaction technology in enterprise performance evaluation. (2) Methods: Surveys were distributed to 578 participants in selected international companies in Turkey, Taiwan, Japan, and China. To reduce uncertainty and errors, the surveys were rigorously evaluated and did not show a normal distribution, as it was determined that 85 participants did not consciously fill out the questionnaires, and the questionnaires from the remaining 493 participants were used. By using the evaluation model of employee satisfaction based on a back propagation (BP) neural network, we explored the manifestation and impact of abusive management and self-efficacy. Using the listed real estate businesses as an example, we proposed a deep learning BP neural network-based employee job satisfaction evaluation model and a human–machine technology-based employee performance evaluation system under situational perception, according to the design requirements of human–machine interaction. (3) Results: The results show that the human–machine interface can log in according to the correct verbal instructions of the employees. In terms of age and education level variables, employees’ perceptions of leaders’ abusive management and self-efficacy are significantly different from their job performances, respectively (p < 0.01). (4) Conclusions: artificial intelligence (AI)-based human–machine interaction technology, malicious management, and self-efficacy directly affect enterprise performance and employee satisfaction.
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16
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Kutter EF, Boström J, Elger CE, Nieder A, Mormann F. Neuronal codes for arithmetic rule processing in the human brain. Curr Biol 2022; 32:1275-1284.e4. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.01.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2020] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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17
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Das A, Menon V. Causal dynamics and information flow in parietal-temporal-hippocampal circuits during mental arithmetic revealed by high-temporal resolution human intracranial EEG. Cortex 2022; 147:24-40. [PMID: 35007892 PMCID: PMC8816888 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Mental arithmetic involves distributed brain regions spanning parietal and temporal cortices, yet little is known about the neural dynamics of causal functional circuits that link them. Here we use high-temporal resolution (1000 Hz sampling rate) intracranial EEG from 35 participants, 362 electrodes, and 1727 electrode pairs, to investigate dynamic causal circuits linking posterior parietal cortex (PPC) with ventral temporal-occipital cortex and hippocampal regions which constitute the perceptual, visuospatial, and mnemonic building blocks of mental arithmetic. Nonlinear phase transfer entropy measures capable of capturing information flow identified dorsal PPC as a causal inflow hub during mental arithmetic, with strong causal influences from fusiform gyrus in ventral temporal-occipital cortex as well as the hippocampus. Net causal inflow into dorsal PPC was significantly higher during mental arithmetic, compared to both resting-state and verbal memory recall. Our analysis also revealed functional heterogeneity of casual signaling in the PPC, with greater net causal inflow into the dorsal PCC, compared to ventral PPC. Additionally, the strength of causal influences was significantly higher on dorsal, compared to ventral, PPC from the hippocampus, and ventral temporal-occipital cortex during mental arithmetic, when compared to both resting-state and verbal memory recall. Our findings provide novel insights into dynamic neural circuits and hubs underlying numerical problem solving and reveal neurophysiological circuit mechanisms by which both the visual number form processing and declarative memory systems dynamically engage the PPC during mental arithmetic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anup Das
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Vinod Menon
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305,Department of Neurology & Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305,Stanford Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
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18
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Spencer M, Fuchs LS, Geary DC, Fuchs D. Connections between Mathematics and Reading Development: Numerical Cognition Mediates Relations between Foundational Competencies and Later Academic Outcomes. JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY 2022; 114:273-288. [PMID: 35177868 PMCID: PMC8845496 DOI: 10.1037/edu0000670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
We examined longitudinal relations between 1st-grade cognitive predictors (early nonverbal reasoning, processing speed, listening comprehension, working memory, calculation skill, word-problem solving, word-reading fluency, attentive behavior, and numerical cognition) and 2nd-grade academic outcomes (calculations, word-problem solving, and word reading) in 370 children (M age = 6.55 years, SD age = 0.33 years at the start of the study) who were identified as at-risk or not-at-risk for mathematics disability. Path analysis mediation models revealed that numerical cognition, assessed at an intermediary timepoint, mediated the effects of processing speed, working memory, calculation skill, word-problem solving, and attentive behavior on all 3 outcomes. Findings indicate that multiple early domain-general cognitive abilities are related to later mathematics and reading outcomes and that numerical cognition processes, which may track ease of forming symbol-concept associations, predict later performance across both academic domains.
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19
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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] [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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20
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Zacharopoulos G, Sella F, Emir U, Cohen Kadosh R. The relation between parietal GABA concentration and numerical skills. Sci Rep 2021; 11:17656. [PMID: 34480033 PMCID: PMC8417296 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-95370-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Several scientific, engineering, and medical advancements are based on breakthroughs made by people who excel in mathematics. Our current understanding of the underlying brain networks stems primarily from anatomical and functional investigations, but our knowledge of how neurotransmitters subserve numerical skills, the building block of mathematics, is scarce. Using 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (N = 54, 3T, semi-LASER sequence, TE = 32 ms, TR = 3.5 s), the study examined the relation between numerical skills and the brain's major inhibitory (GABA) and excitatory (glutamate) neurotransmitters. A negative association was found between the performance in a number sequences task and the resting concentration of GABA within the left intraparietal sulcus (IPS), a key region supporting numeracy. The relation between GABA in the IPS and number sequences was specific to (1) parietal but not frontal regions and to (2) GABA but not glutamate. It was additionally found that the resting functional connectivity of the left IPS and the left superior frontal gyrus was positively associated with number sequences performance. However, resting GABA concentration within the IPS explained number sequences performance above and beyond the resting frontoparietal connectivity measure. Our findings further motivate the study of inhibition mechanisms in the human brain and significantly contribute to our current understanding of numerical cognition's biological bases.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Zacharopoulos
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Department of Psychology, Swansea University, Swansea, UK.
| | - Francesco Sella
- Centre for Mathematical Cognition, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK
| | - Uzay Emir
- School of Health Sciences, College of Health and Human Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907-2051, USA
| | - Roi Cohen Kadosh
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- School of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK.
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21
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Zacharopoulos G, Sella F, Cohen Kadosh K, Hartwright C, Emir U, Cohen Kadosh R. Predicting learning and achievement using GABA and glutamate concentrations in human development. PLoS Biol 2021; 19:e3001325. [PMID: 34292934 PMCID: PMC8297926 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous research has highlighted the role of glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in learning and plasticity. What is currently unknown is how this knowledge translates to real-life complex cognitive abilities that emerge slowly and how the link between these neurotransmitters and human learning and plasticity is shaped by development. While some have suggested a generic role of glutamate and GABA in learning and plasticity, others have hypothesized that their involvement shapes sensitive periods during development. Here we used a cross-sectional longitudinal design with 255 individuals (spanning primary school to university) to show that glutamate and GABA in the intraparietal sulcus explain unique variance both in current and future mathematical achievement (approximately 1.5 years). Furthermore, our findings reveal a dynamic and dissociable role of GABA and glutamate in predicting learning, which is reversed during development, and therefore provide novel implications for models of learning and plasticity during childhood and adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Zacharopoulos
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychology, Swansea University, United Kingdom
| | - Francesco Sella
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
- Centre for Mathematical Cognition, Loughborough University, United Kingdom
| | - Kathrin Cohen Kadosh
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
- School of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom
| | - Charlotte Hartwright
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
- School of Psychology, Aston University, United Kingdom
| | - Uzay Emir
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
- School of Health Sciences, College of Health and Human Sciences, Purdue University, United States of America
| | - Roi Cohen Kadosh
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
- School of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom
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22
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Zacharopoulos G, Sella F, Cohen Kadosh R. The impact of a lack of mathematical education on brain development and future attainment. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2013155118. [PMID: 34099561 PMCID: PMC8214709 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2013155118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Formal education has a long-term impact on an individual's life. However, our knowledge of the effect of a specific lack of education, such as in mathematics, is currently poor but is highly relevant given the extant differences between countries in their educational curricula and the differences in opportunities to access education. Here we examined whether neurotransmitter concentrations in the adolescent brain could classify whether a student is lacking mathematical education. Decreased γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) concentration within the middle frontal gyrus (MFG) successfully classified whether an adolescent studies math and was negatively associated with frontoparietal connectivity. In a second experiment, we uncovered that our findings were not due to preexisting differences before a mathematical education ceased. Furthermore, we showed that MFG GABA not only classifies whether an adolescent is studying math or not, but it also predicts the changes in mathematical reasoning ∼19 mo later. The present results extend previous work in animals that has emphasized the role of GABA neurotransmission in synaptic and network plasticity and highlight the effect of a specific lack of education on MFG GABA concentration and learning-dependent plasticity. Our findings reveal the reciprocal effect between brain development and education and demonstrate the negative consequences of a specific lack of education during adolescence on brain plasticity and cognitive functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Zacharopoulos
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, United Kingdom;
| | - Francesco Sella
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, United Kingdom
- Centre for Mathematical Cognition, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, United Kingdom
| | - Roi Cohen Kadosh
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, United Kingdom;
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23
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Abstract
Strong foundational skills in mathematical problem solving, acquired in early childhood, are critical not only for success in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematical (STEM) fields but also for quantitative reasoning in everyday life. The acquisition of mathematical skills relies on protracted interactive specialization of functional brain networks across development. Using a systems neuroscience approach, this review synthesizes emerging perspectives on neurodevelopmental pathways of mathematical learning, highlighting the functional brain architecture that supports these processes and sources of heterogeneity in mathematical skill acquisition. We identify the core neural building blocks of numerical cognition, anchored in the posterior parietal and ventral temporal-occipital cortices, and describe how memory and cognitive control systems, anchored in the medial temporal lobe and prefrontal cortex, help scaffold mathematical skill development. We highlight how interactive specialization of functional circuits influences mathematical learning across different stages of development. Functional and structural brain integrity and plasticity associated with math learning can be examined using an individual differences approach to better understand sources of heterogeneity in learning, including cognitive, affective, motivational, and sociocultural factors. Our review emphasizes the dynamic role of neurodevelopmental processes in mathematical learning and cognitive development more generally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinod Menon
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
- Stanford Neuroscience Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
- Symbolic Systems Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Hyesang Chang
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
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24
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Schwartz F, Zhang Y, Chang H, Karraker S, Kang JB, Menon V. Neural representational similarity between symbolic and non-symbolic quantities predicts arithmetic skills in childhood but not adolescence. Dev Sci 2021; 24:e13123. [PMID: 34060183 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Revised: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Mathematical knowledge is constructed hierarchically from basic understanding of quantities and the symbols that denote them. Discrimination of numerical quantity in both symbolic and non-symbolic formats has been linked to mathematical problem-solving abilities. However, little is known of the extent to which overlap in quantity representations between symbolic and non-symbolic formats is related to individual differences in numerical problem solving and whether this relation changes with different stages of development and skill acquisition. Here we investigate the association between neural representational similarity (NRS) across symbolic and non-symbolic quantity discrimination and arithmetic problem-solving skills in early and late developmental stages: elementary school children (ages 7-10 years) and adolescents and young adults (AYA, ages 14-21 years). In children, cross-format NRS in distributed brain regions, including parietal and frontal cortices and the hippocampus, was positively correlated with arithmetic skills. In contrast, no brain region showed a significant association between cross-format NRS and arithmetic skills in the AYA group. Our findings suggest that the relationship between symbolic-non-symbolic NRS and arithmetic skills depends on developmental stage. Taken together, our study provides evidence for both mapping and estrangement hypotheses in the context of numerical problem solving, albeit over different cognitive developmental stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flora Schwartz
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Yuan Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Hyesang Chang
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Shelby Karraker
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Julia Boram Kang
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Vinod Menon
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.,Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.,Stanford Neuroscience Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.,Symbolic Systems Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
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Supekar K, Chang H, Mistry PK, Iuculano T, Menon V. Neurocognitive modeling of latent memory processes reveals reorganization of hippocampal-cortical circuits underlying learning and efficient strategies. Commun Biol 2021; 4:405. [PMID: 33767350 PMCID: PMC7994581 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-01872-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Efficient memory-based problem-solving strategies are a cardinal feature of expertise across a wide range of cognitive domains in childhood. However, little is known about the neurocognitive mechanisms that underlie the acquisition of efficient memory-based problem-solving strategies. Here we develop, to the best of our knowledge, a novel neurocognitive process model of latent memory processes to investigate how cognitive training designed to improve children's problem-solving skills alters brain network organization and leads to increased use and efficiency of memory retrieval-based strategies. We found that training increased both the use and efficiency of memory retrieval. Functional brain network analysis revealed training-induced changes in modular network organization, characterized by increase in network modules and reorganization of hippocampal-cortical circuits. Critically, training-related changes in modular network organization predicted performance gains, with emergent hippocampal, rather than parietal cortex, circuitry driving gains in efficiency of memory retrieval. Our findings elucidate a neurocognitive process model of brain network mechanisms that drive learning and gains in children's efficient problem-solving strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaustubh Supekar
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
| | - Hyesang Chang
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Percy K Mistry
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Teresa Iuculano
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Developmental Psychology and Child Education Laboratory, University Paris Descartes, Paris, France
| | - Vinod Menon
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Stanford Neuroscience Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
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26
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Distefano R, Fiat AE, Merrick JS, Slotkin J, Zelazo PD, Carlson SM, Masten AS. NIH Toolbox executive function measures with developmental extensions: Reliability and validity with preschoolers in emergency housing. Child Neuropsychol 2021; 27:709-717. [PMID: 33685361 DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2021.1888905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Research has shown that executive function (EF) skills are associated with resilience in preschoolers experiencing risk and adversity, but these studies have typically relied on large batteries of tasks to measure children's EF skills. There is a need for brief, reliable EF assessments that can be used in the field with diverse young children. The current study assessed the validity and test-retest reliability of two tablet-based EF tasks from the NIH Toolbox: The Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS) and the Flanker Inhibitory Control and Attention Test, each with a developmental extension (Dext) that is triggered when a child struggles with the standardized versions. Dext versions include easier levels intended to improve task accessibility for younger and disadvantaged children. Eighty-six preschoolers residing in emergency housing participated in two study sessions about one week apart, completing tablet-based DCCS-Dext and Flanker-Dext tasks, along with a table-top EF task (Peg-Tapping) and measures of vocabulary and numeracy. The majority of participants triggered the Dext portion of the DCCS and almost half triggered the Dext portion of the Flanker, underscoring the need for extensions of the Toolbox EF tasks to lower the floor of these measures. The Dext EF measures were positively associated with Peg-Tapping, after controlling for age and vocabulary, indicating construct validity. They were also correlated with math achievement, suggesting criterion validity. DCCS-Dext and Flanker-Dext showed moderate test-retest reliability after one week. Together, these findings demonstrate the value of developmental extensions for assessing EF skills among children experiencing risk and adversity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aria E Fiat
- Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | | | - Jerry Slotkin
- Center for Health Assessment Research and Translation, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
| | - Philip David Zelazo
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, MN, USA
| | - Stephanie M Carlson
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, MN, USA
| | - Ann S Masten
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, MN, USA
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Carr SJA, Chen W, Fondran J, Friel H, Sanchez-Gonzalez J, Zhang J, Tatsuoka C. Early Stopping in Experimentation With Real-Time Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Using a Modified Sequential Probability Ratio Test. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:643740. [PMID: 34803577 PMCID: PMC8600259 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.643740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) often involves long scanning durations to ensure the associated brain activity can be detected. However, excessive experimentation can lead to many undesirable effects, such as from learning and/or fatigue effects, discomfort for the subject, excessive motion artifacts and loss of sustained attention on task. Overly long experimentation can thus have a detrimental effect on signal quality and accurate voxel activation detection. Here, we propose dynamic experimentation with real-time fMRI using a novel statistically driven approach that invokes early stopping when sufficient statistical evidence for assessing the task-related activation is observed. Methods: Voxel-level sequential probability ratio test (SPRT) statistics based on general linear models (GLMs) were implemented on fMRI scans of a mathematical 1-back task from 12 healthy teenage subjects and 11 teenage subjects born extremely preterm (EPT). This approach is based on likelihood ratios and allows for systematic early stopping based on target statistical error thresholds. We adopt a two-stage estimation approach that allows for accurate estimates of GLM parameters before stopping is considered. Early stopping performance is reported for different first stage lengths, and activation results are compared with full durations. Finally, group comparisons are conducted with both early stopped and full duration scan data. Numerical parallelization was employed to facilitate completion of computations involving a new scan within every repetition time (TR). Results: Use of SPRT demonstrates the feasibility and efficiency gains of automated early stopping, with comparable activation detection as with full protocols. Dynamic stopping of stimulus administration was achieved in around half of subjects, with typical time savings of up to 33% (4 min on a 12 min scan). A group analysis produced similar patterns of activity for control subjects between early stopping and full duration scans. The EPT group, individually, demonstrated more variability in location and extent of the activations compared to the normal term control group. This was apparent in the EPT group results, reflected by fewer and smaller clusters. Conclusion: A systematic statistical approach for early stopping with real-time fMRI experimentation has been implemented. This dynamic approach has promise for reducing subject burden and fatigue effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah J. A. Carr
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Weicong Chen
- Department of Computer and Data Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Jeremy Fondran
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Harry Friel
- Philips Healthcare, Highland Heights, OH, United States
| | | | - Jing Zhang
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Curtis Tatsuoka
- Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
- *Correspondence: Curtis Tatsuoka,
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Wortha SM, Bloechle J, Ninaus M, Kiili K, Lindstedt A, Bahnmueller J, Moeller K, Klein E. Neurofunctional plasticity in fraction learning: An fMRI training study. Trends Neurosci Educ 2020; 21:100141. [PMID: 33303106 DOI: 10.1016/j.tine.2020.100141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Revised: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fractions are known to be difficult for children and adults. Behavioral studies suggest that magnitude processing of fractions can be improved via number line estimation (NLE) trainings, but little is known about the neural correlates of fraction learning. METHOD To examine the neuro-cognitive foundations of fraction learning, behavioral performance and neural correlates were measured before and after a five-day NLE training. RESULTS In all evaluation tasks behavioral performance increased after training. We observed a fronto-parietal network associated with number magnitude processing to be recruited in all tasks as indicated by a numerical distance effect. For symbolic fractions, the distance effect on intraparietal activation was only observed after training. CONCLUSION The absence of a distance effect of symbolic fractions before the training could indicate an initially less automatic access to their overall magnitude. NLE training facilitates processing of overall fraction magnitude as indicated by the distance effect in neural activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silke M Wortha
- LEAD Graduate School & Research Network, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany; Department of Neurology, Universitätsmedizin Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
| | - Johannes Bloechle
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Manuel Ninaus
- LEAD Graduate School & Research Network, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany; Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Kristian Kiili
- Faculty of Education and Culture, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Antero Lindstedt
- Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences, Tampere University, Pori, Finland
| | - Julia Bahnmueller
- LEAD Graduate School & Research Network, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany; Centre for Mathematical Cognition, School of Science, Loughborough University, United Kingdom
| | - Korbinian Moeller
- LEAD Graduate School & Research Network, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany; Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien, Tuebingen, Germany; Centre for Mathematical Cognition, School of Science, Loughborough University, United Kingdom; Individual Development and Adaptive Education Center, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Elise Klein
- Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien, Tuebingen, Germany; Université de Paris, LaPsyDÉ, CNRS, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
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Leocadi M, Canu E, Calderaro D, Corbetta D, Filippi M, Agosta F. An update on magnetic resonance imaging markers in AD. Ther Adv Neurol Disord 2020; 13:1756286420947986. [PMID: 33747128 PMCID: PMC7903819 DOI: 10.1177/1756286420947986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The purpose of the present review is to provide an update of the available recent scientific literature on the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in Alzheimer's disease (AD). MRI is playing an increasingly important role in the characterization of the AD signatures, which can be useful in both the diagnostic process and monitoring of disease progression. Furthermore, this technique is unique in assessing brain structure and function and provides a deep understanding of in vivo evolution of cerebral pathology. In the reviewing process, we established a priori criteria and we thoroughly searched the very recent scientific literature (January 2018-March 2020) for relevant articles on this topic. In summary, we selected 73 articles out of 1654 publications retrieved from PubMed. Based on this selection, this review summarizes the recent application of MRI in clinical trials, defining the predementia stages of AD, the clinical utility of MRI, proposal of novel biomarkers and brain regions of interest, and assessing the relationship between MRI and cognitive features, risk and protective factors of AD. Finally, the value of a multiparametric approach in clinical and preclinical stages of AD is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Leocadi
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Elisa Canu
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Davide Calderaro
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Davide Corbetta
- Laboratory of Movement Analysis, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Massimo Filippi
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of Neuroscience, Neurology and Neurophysiology Units, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, and Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Federica Agosta
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, and Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Via Olgettina 60, Milan 20132, Italy
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Zheng F, Zhou YT, Feng DD, Li PF, Tang T, Luo JK, Wang Y. Metabolomics analysis of the hippocampus in a rat model of traumatic brain injury during the acute phase. Brain Behav 2020; 10:e01520. [PMID: 31908160 PMCID: PMC7010586 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.1520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Revised: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 12/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has increased in rank among traumatic injuries worldwide. Traumatic brain injury is a serious obstacle given that its complex pathology represents a long-term process. Recently, systems biology strategies such as metabolomics to investigate the multifactorial nature of TBI have facilitated attempts to find biomarkers and probe molecular pathways for its diagnosis and therapy. METHODS This study included a group of 20 rats with controlled cortical impact and a group of 20 sham rats. We utilized mNSS tests to investigate neurological metabolic impairments on day 1 and day 3. Furthermore, we applied metabolomics and bioinformatics to determine the metabolic perturbation caused by TBI during the acute period in the hippocampus tissue of controlled cortical impact (CCI) rats. Notably, TBI-protein-metabolite subnetworks identified from a database were assessed for associations between metabolites and TBI by the dysregulation of related enzymes and transporters. RESULTS Our results identified 7 and 8 biomarkers on day 1 and day 3, respectively. Additionally, related pathway disorders showed effects on arginine and proline metabolism as well as taurine and hypotaurine metabolism on day 3 in acute TBI. Furthermore, according to metabolite-protein database searches, 25 metabolite-protein pairs were established as causally associated with TBI. Further, bioinformation indicated that these TBI-associated proteins mainly take part in 5'-nucleotidase activity and carboxylic acid transmembrane transport. In addition, interweaved networks were constructed to show that the development of TBI might be affected by metabolite-related proteins and their protein pathways. CONCLUSION The overall results show that acute TBI is susceptible to metabolic disorders, and the joint metabolite-protein network analysis provides a favorable prediction of TBI pathogenesis mechanisms in the brain. The signatures in the hippocampus might be promising for the development of biomarkers and pathways relevant to acute TBI and could further guide testable predictions of the underlying mechanism of TBI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Zheng
- College of Electrical and Information Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, China
| | - Yan-Tao Zhou
- College of Electrical and Information Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, China
| | - Dan-Dan Feng
- Laboratory of Ethnopharmacology, Institute of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Peng-Fei Li
- Laboratory of Ethnopharmacology, Institute of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Tao Tang
- Laboratory of Ethnopharmacology, Institute of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Jie-Kun Luo
- Laboratory of Ethnopharmacology, Institute of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Yang Wang
- Laboratory of Ethnopharmacology, Institute of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
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Castaldi E, Piazza M, Iuculano T. Learning disabilities: Developmental dyscalculia. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2020; 174:61-75. [PMID: 32977896 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-64148-9.00005-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Developmental dyscalculia (DD) is a developmental learning disability that manifests as a persistent difficulty in comprehending even the most basic numeric and arithmetic concepts, despite normal intelligence and schooling opportunities. Given the predominant use of numbers in modern society, this condition can pose major challenges in the sufferer's everyday life, both in personal and professional development. Since, to date, we still lack a universally recognized and psychometrically driven definition of DD, its diagnosis has been applied to a wide variety of cognitive profiles. In this chapter, we review the behavioral and neural characterization of DD as well as the different neurocognitive and etiologic accounts of this neurodevelopmental disorder. We underline the multicomponential nature of this heterogeneous disability: different aspects of mathematical competence can be affected by both the suboptimal recruitment of general cognitive functions supporting mathematical cognition (such as attention, memory, and cognitive control) and specific deficits in mastering numeric concepts and operations. Accordingly, both intervention paradigms focused on core numeric abilities and more comprehensive protocols targeting multiple neurocognitive systems have provided evidence for effective positive outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Castaldi
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy; Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy; Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DRF/I2BM, INSERM, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
| | - Manuela Piazza
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Teresa Iuculano
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and Université de Paris, La Sorbonne, Paris, France
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32
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Nieder A. Neural constraints on human number concepts. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2019; 60:28-36. [PMID: 31810008 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2019.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2019] [Revised: 10/09/2019] [Accepted: 10/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
True counting and arithmetic abilities are unique to humans and are inextricably linked to symbolic competence. However, our unprecedented numerical skills are deeply rooted in our neuronal heritage as primates and vertebrates. In this article, I argue that numerical competence in humans is the result of three neural constraints. First, I propose that the neuronal mechanisms of quantity estimation are part of our evolutionary heritage and can be witnessed across primate and vertebrate phylogeny. Second, I suggest that a basic understanding of number, what numerical quantity means, is innately wired into the brain and gives rise to an intuitive number sense, or number instinct. Third and finally, I argue that symbolic counting and arithmetic in humans is rooted in an evolutionarily and ontogenetically primeval neural system for non-symbolic number representations. These three neural constraints jointly determine the basic processing of number concepts in the human mind.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Nieder
- Animal Physiology Unit, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
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Chang H, Rosenberg-Lee M, Qin S, Menon V. Faster learners transfer their knowledge better: Behavioral, mnemonic, and neural mechanisms of individual differences in children's learning. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2019; 40:100719. [PMID: 31710975 PMCID: PMC6974913 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2019] [Revised: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 10/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Why some children learn, and transfer their knowledge to novel problems, better than others remains an important unresolved question in the science of learning. Here we developed an innovative tutoring program and data analysis approach to investigate individual differences in neurocognitive mechanisms that support math learning and "near" transfer to novel, but structurally related, problems in elementary school children. Following just five days of training, children performed recently trained math problems more efficiently, with greater use of memory-retrieval-based strategies. Crucially, children who learned faster during training performed better not only on trained problems but also on novel problems, and better discriminated trained and novel problems in a subsequent recognition memory task. Faster learners exhibited increased similarity of neural representations between trained and novel problems, and greater differentiation of functional brain circuits engaged by trained and novel problems. These results suggest that learning and near transfer are characterized by parallel learning-rate dependent local integration and large-scale segregation of functional brain circuits. Our findings demonstrate that speed of learning and near transfer are interrelated and identify the neural mechanisms by which faster learners transfer their knowledge better. Our study provides new insights into the behavioral, mnemonic, and neural mechanisms underlying children's learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyesang Chang
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, CA 94305, United States.
| | - Miriam Rosenberg-Lee
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, CA 94305, United States; Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07102, United States
| | - Shaozheng Qin
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, CA 94305, United States; State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Faculty of Psychology at Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Vinod Menon
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, CA 94305, United States; Department of Neurology & Neurological Sciences, Stanford, CA 94305, United States; Stanford Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, United States.
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Li M, Lauharatanahirun N, Steinberg L, King-Casas B, Kim-Spoon J, Deater-Deckard K. Longitudinal link between trait motivation and risk-taking behaviors via neural risk processing. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2019; 40:100725. [PMID: 31733522 PMCID: PMC6939871 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2019] [Revised: 09/16/2019] [Accepted: 10/28/2019] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Prior research has emphasized the importance of the motivational system in risky decision-making, yet the mechanisms through which individual differences in motivation may influence adolescents' risk-taking behaviors remain to be determined. Based on developmental neuroscience literature illustrating the importance of risk processing in explaining individual differences in value-based decision making, we examined risk processing as a potential mediator of the association between trait motivations and adolescents' risk-taking behaviors. The sample consisted of 167 adolescents (47% females) annually assessed for three years (13-14 years of age at Time 1). Approach and avoidance motivations were measured using adolescent self-report. Risk preference was estimated based on adolescents' decisions during a modified economic lottery choice task with neural risk processing being measured by blood-oxygen-level-dependent responses in the bilateral insular cortex for chosen options. Adolescents' risk-taking behaviors were assessed by laboratory-based risky decision making using the Stoplight task. Longitudinal mediation analyses revealed a significant indirect effect of approach motivation, such that higher motivation was correlated with increases in risk-taking behaviors via decreases in neural activation in the bilateral insular cortex during risk processing. The findings illustrate a neural pathway through which approach motivation is translated into the vulnerability to risk taking development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengjiao Li
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, United States
| | - Nina Lauharatanahirun
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States; Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, Blacksburg, VA, United States; U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, United States; Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Laurence Steinberg
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Brooks King-Casas
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States; Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | | | - Kirby Deater-Deckard
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, United States
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Castaldi E, Mirassou A, Dehaene S, Piazza M, Eger E. Asymmetrical interference between number and item size perception provides evidence for a domain specific impairment in dyscalculia. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0209256. [PMID: 30550549 PMCID: PMC6294370 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0209256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 12/03/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Dyscalculia, a specific learning disability that impacts arithmetical skills, has previously been associated to a deficit in the precision of the system that estimates the approximate number of objects in visual scenes (the so called 'number sense' system). However, because in tasks involving numerosity comparisons dyscalculics' judgements appears disproportionally affected by continuous quantitative dimensions (such as the size of the items), an alternative view linked dyscalculia to a domain-general difficulty in inhibiting task-irrelevant responses. To arbitrate between these views, we evaluated the degree of reciprocal interference between numerical and non-numerical quantitative dimensions in adult dyscalculics and matched controls. We used a novel stimulus set orthogonally varying in mean item size and numerosity, putting particular attention into matching both features' perceptual discriminability. Participants compared those stimuli based on each of the two dimensions. While control subjects showed no significant size interference when judging numerosity, dyscalculics' numerosity judgments were strongly biased by the unattended size dimension. Importantly however, both groups showed the same degree of interference from the unattended dimension when judging mean size. Moreover, only the ability to discard the irrelevant size information when comparing numerosity (but not the reverse) significantly predicted calculation ability across subjects. Overall, our results show that numerosity discrimination is less prone to interference than discrimination of another quantitative feature (mean item size) when the perceptual discriminability of these features is matched, as here in control subjects. By quantifying, for the first time, dyscalculic subjects' degree of interference on another orthogonal dimension of the same stimuli, we are able to exclude a domain-general inhibition deficit as explanation for their poor / biased numerical judgement. We suggest that enhanced reliance on non-numerical cues during numerosity discrimination can represent a strategy to cope with a less precise number sense.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Castaldi
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DRF/I2BM, INSERM, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Anne Mirassou
- Centre Hospitalier Rives de Seine, Service de Pédiatrie et Néonatologie, Unité de Dépistage des Troubles des Apprentissages, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
| | - Stanislas Dehaene
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DRF/I2BM, INSERM, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Manuela Piazza
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Evelyn Eger
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DRF/I2BM, INSERM, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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Kutter EF, Bostroem J, Elger CE, Mormann F, Nieder A. Single Neurons in the Human Brain Encode Numbers. Neuron 2018; 100:753-761.e4. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.08.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2018] [Revised: 06/19/2018] [Accepted: 08/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
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Battista C, Evans TM, Ngoon TJ, Chen T, Chen L, Kochalka J, Menon V. Mechanisms of interactive specialization and emergence of functional brain circuits supporting cognitive development in children. NPJ SCIENCE OF LEARNING 2018; 3:1. [PMID: 30631462 PMCID: PMC6220196 DOI: 10.1038/s41539-017-0017-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2017] [Revised: 11/17/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Cognitive development is thought to depend on the refinement and specialization of functional circuits over time, yet little is known about how this process unfolds over the course of childhood. Here we investigated growth trajectories of functional brain circuits and tested an interactive specialization model of neurocognitive development which posits that the refinement of task-related functional networks is driven by a shared history of co-activation between cortical regions. We tested this model in a longitudinal cohort of 30 children with behavioral and task-related functional brain imaging data at multiple time points spanning childhood and adolescence, focusing on the maturation of parietal circuits associated with numerical problem solving and learning. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed selective strengthening as well as weakening of functional brain circuits. Connectivity between parietal and prefrontal cortex decreased over time, while connectivity within posterior brain regions, including intra-hemispheric and inter-hemispheric parietal connectivity, as well as parietal connectivity with ventral temporal occipital cortex regions implicated in quantity manipulation and numerical symbol recognition, increased over time. Our study provides insights into the longitudinal maturation of functional circuits in the human brain and the mechanisms by which interactive specialization shapes children's cognitive development and learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Battista
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA USA
| | - Tanya M. Evans
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA USA
| | - Tricia J. Ngoon
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA USA
| | - Tianwen Chen
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA USA
| | - Lang Chen
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA USA
| | - John Kochalka
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA USA
| | - Vinod Menon
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA USA
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA USA
- Stanford Neuroscience Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA USA
- Symbolic Systems Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA USA
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