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Zang Z, Chi X, Luan M, Hu S, Zhou K, Liu J. Inter-individual, hemispheric and sex variability of brain activations during numerosity processing. Brain Struct Funct 2024; 229:459-475. [PMID: 38197958 PMCID: PMC10917853 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-023-02747-3] [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: 08/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Numerosity perception is a fundamental and innate cognitive function shared by both humans and many animal species. Previous research has primarily focused on exploring the spatial and functional consistency of neural activations that were associated with the processing of numerosity information. However, the inter-individual variability of brain activations of numerosity perception remains unclear. In the present study, with a large-sample functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) dataset (n = 460), we aimed to localize the functional regions related to numerosity perceptions and explore the inter-individual, hemispheric, and sex differences within these brain regions. Fifteen subject-specific activated regions, including the anterior intraparietal sulcus (aIPS), posterior intraparietal sulcus (pIPS), insula, inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), inferior temporal gyrus (ITG), premotor area (PM), middle occipital gyrus (MOG) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), were delineated in each individual and then used to create a functional probabilistic atlas to quantify individual variability in brain activations of numerosity processing. Though the activation percentages of most regions were higher than 60%, the intersections of most regions across individuals were considerably lower, falling below 50%, indicating substantial variations in brain activations related to numerosity processing among individuals. Furthermore, significant hemispheric and sex differences in activation location, extent, and magnitude were also found in these regions. Most activated regions in the right hemisphere had larger activation volumes and activation magnitudes, and were located more lateral and anterior than their counterparts in the left hemisphere. In addition, in most of these regions, males displayed stronger activations than females. Our findings demonstrate large inter-individual, hemispheric, and sex differences in brain activations related to numerosity processing, and our probabilistic atlas can serve as a robust functional and spatial reference for mapping the numerosity-related neural networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongyao Zang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Xiaoyue Chi
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Mengkai Luan
- Department of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, 650 Qing Yuan Huan Road, Shanghai, 200438, People's Republic of China
| | - Siyuan Hu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
| | - Ke Zhou
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
| | - Jia Liu
- Tsinghua Laboratory of Brain and Intelligence, Department of Psychology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
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2
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Barretto-García M, de Hollander G, Grueschow M, Polanía R, Woodford M, Ruff CC. Individual risk attitudes arise from noise in neurocognitive magnitude representations. Nat Hum Behav 2023; 7:1551-1567. [PMID: 37460762 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-023-01643-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
Humans are generally risk averse, preferring smaller certain over larger uncertain outcomes. Economic theories usually explain this by assuming concave utility functions. Here, we provide evidence that risk aversion can also arise from relative underestimation of larger monetary payoffs, a perceptual bias rooted in the noisy logarithmic coding of numerical magnitudes. We confirmed this with psychophysics and functional magnetic resonance imaging, by measuring behavioural and neural acuity of magnitude representations during a magnitude perception task and relating these measures to risk attitudes during separate risky financial decisions. Computational modelling indicated that participants use similar mental magnitude representations in both tasks, with correlated precision across perceptual and risky choices. Participants with more precise magnitude representations in parietal cortex showed less variable behaviour and less risk aversion. Our results highlight that at least some individual characteristics of economic behaviour can reflect capacity limitations in perceptual processing rather than processes that assign subjective values to monetary outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Barretto-García
- Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics, Department of Economics, University of Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
| | - Gilles de Hollander
- Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics, Department of Economics, University of Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
- University Research Priority Program 'Adaptive Brain Circuits in Development and Learning' (URPP AdaBD), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marcus Grueschow
- Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics, Department of Economics, University of Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Rafael Polanía
- Decision Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Christian C Ruff
- Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics, Department of Economics, University of Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- University Research Priority Program 'Adaptive Brain Circuits in Development and Learning' (URPP AdaBD), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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3
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Yuan X, Ni L, Li H, Zhang D, Zhou K. The neural correlates of individual differences in numerosity perception: A voxel-based morphometry study. iScience 2023; 26:107392. [PMID: 37554464 PMCID: PMC10405316 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107392] [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: 01/20/2023] [Revised: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Numerosity perception is a fundamental cognitive function in humans and animals. Using an individual difference approach with a comprehensive dataset (N = 249), we performed a voxel-based morphometry analysis to unravel the neuroanatomical substrates associated with individual differences in numerosity perception sensitivity, measured by a classical non-symbolic numerical judgment task. Results showed that greater gray matter volume (GMV) in the left cerebellum, right temporal pole, and right parahippocampal was positively correlated to higher perceptual sensitivity to numerosity. In contrast, the GMV in the left intraparietal sulcus, and bilateral precentral/postcentral gyrus was negatively correlated to the sensitivity of numerosity perception. These findings indicate that a wide range of brain structures, rather than a specific anatomical structure or circuit, forms the neuroanatomical basis of numerosity perception, lending support to the emerging network view of the neural representation of numerosity. This work contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of how the brain processes numerical information. •Unveils neuroanatomical basis of numerosity perception •Discovers positive and negative greater GMV correlations •Links GMV in a wide range of brain regions to numerical sensitivity •Supports the network view of the neural representation of numerosity perception
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyi Yuan
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Liangping Ni
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230601, China
- Medical Imaging Research Center, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Huan Li
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230601, China
- Medical Imaging Research Center, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Dai Zhang
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230601, China
- Medical Imaging Research Center, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Ke Zhou
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
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4
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Ogawa A, Kameda T, Nakatani H. Neural Basis of Social Influence of Observing Other's Perception in Dot-Number Estimation. Neuroscience 2023; 515:1-11. [PMID: 36764600 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2023.01.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Our perceptions and decisions are often implicitly influenced by observing another's actions. However, it is unclear how observing other people's perceptual decisions without interacting with them can engage the processing of self-other discrepancies and change the observer's decisions. In this study, we employed functional magnetic resonance imaging and a computational model to investigate the neural basis of how unilaterally observing the other's perceptual decisions modulated one's own decisions. The experimental task was to discriminate whether the number of presented dots was higher or lower than a reference number. The participants performed the task solely while unilaterally observing the performance of another "participant," who produced overestimations and underestimations in the same task in separate sessions. Results of the behavioral analysis showed that the participants' decisions were modulated to resemble those of the other. Image analysis based on computational model revealed that the activation in the medial prefrontal cortex was associated with the discrepancy between the inferred participant's and the presented other's decisions. In addition, the number-sensitive region in the superior parietal region showed altered activation patterns after observing the other's overestimations and underestimations. The activity of the superior parietal region was not involved in assessing the observation of other's perceptual decisions, but it was engaged in plain numerosity perception. These results suggest that computational modeling can capture the neuro-behavioral processing of self-other discrepancies in perception followed by the activity modulation in the number-sensitive region in the task of dot-number estimation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akitoshi Ogawa
- Faculty of Medicine, Juntendo University, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan; Brain Science Institute, Tamagawa University, 6-1-1 Tamagawagakuen, Machida, Tokyo 194-8610, Japan.
| | - Tatsuya Kameda
- Department of Social Psychology, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-0033, Japan; Brain Science Institute, Tamagawa University, 6-1-1 Tamagawagakuen, Machida, Tokyo 194-8610, Japan
| | - Hironori Nakatani
- School of Information and Telecommunication Engineering, Tokai University, 2-3-23, Takanawa, Minato-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
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5
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Lin P, Zhou X, Zang S, Zhu Y, Zhang L, Bai Y, Wang H. Early neural markers for individual difference in mathematical achievement determined from rational number processing. Neuropsychologia 2023; 181:108493. [PMID: 36707024 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108493] [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: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The neural markers for individual differences in mathematical achievement have been studied extensively using magnetic resonance imaging; however, high temporal resolution electrophysiological evidence for individual differences in mathematical achievement require further elucidation. This study evaluated the event-related potential (ERP) when 48 college students with high or low mathematical achievement (HA vs. LA) matched non-symbolic and symbolic rational numbers. Behavioral results indicated that HA students had better performance in the discretized non-symbolic matching, although the two groups showed similar performances in the continuous matching. ERP data revealed that even before non-symbolic stimulus presentation, HA students had greater Bereitschaftspotential (BP) amplitudes over posterior central electrodes. After the presentation of non-symbolic numbers, HA students had larger N1 amplitudes at 160 ms post-stimulus, over left-lateralized parieto-occipital electrodes. After the presentation of symbolic numbers, HA students displayed more profound P1 amplitudes at 100 ms post-stimulus, over left parietal electrodes. Furthermore, larger BP and N1 amplitudes were associated with the shorter reaction times, and larger P1 amplitudes corresponded to lower error rates. The BP effect could indicate preparation processing, and early left-lateralized N1 and P1 effects could reflect the non-symbolic and symbolic number processing along the dorsal neural pathways. These results suggest that the left-lateralized P1 and N1 components elicited by matching non-symbolic and symbolic rational numbers can be considered as neurocognitive markers for individual differences in mathematical achievement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pingting Lin
- School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, Jiangsu, PR China; Key Laboratory of Child Development and Learning Science (Southeast University), Ministry of Education, Nanjing, 210096, Jiangsu, PR China; Research Center for Learning Science, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Xinlin Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, PR China
| | - Shiyi Zang
- School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, Jiangsu, PR China; Key Laboratory of Child Development and Learning Science (Southeast University), Ministry of Education, Nanjing, 210096, Jiangsu, PR China; Research Center for Learning Science, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Yanmei Zhu
- School for Early-Childhood Education, Nanjing Xiaozhuang University, Nanjing, 211171, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Li Zhang
- School for Early-Childhood Education, Nanjing Xiaozhuang University, Nanjing, 211171, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Yi Bai
- School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, Jiangsu, PR China; Key Laboratory of Child Development and Learning Science (Southeast University), Ministry of Education, Nanjing, 210096, Jiangsu, PR China; Research Center for Learning Science, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Haixian Wang
- School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, Jiangsu, PR China; Key Laboratory of Child Development and Learning Science (Southeast University), Ministry of Education, Nanjing, 210096, Jiangsu, PR China; Research Center for Learning Science, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, Jiangsu, PR China.
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6
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Rolls ET, Deco G, Huang CC, Feng J. The human posterior parietal cortex: effective connectome, and its relation to function. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:3142-3170. [PMID: 35834902 PMCID: PMC10401905 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Revised: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The effective connectivity between 21 regions in the human posterior parietal cortex, and 360 cortical regions was measured in 171 Human Connectome Project (HCP) participants using the HCP atlas, and complemented with functional connectivity and diffusion tractography. Intraparietal areas LIP, VIP, MIP, and AIP have connectivity from early cortical visual regions, and to visuomotor regions such as the frontal eye fields, consistent with functions in eye saccades and tracking. Five superior parietal area 7 regions receive from similar areas and from the intraparietal areas, but also receive somatosensory inputs and connect with premotor areas including area 6, consistent with functions in performing actions to reach for, grasp, and manipulate objects. In the anterior inferior parietal cortex, PFop, PFt, and PFcm are mainly somatosensory, and PF in addition receives visuo-motor and visual object information, and is implicated in multimodal shape and body image representations. In the posterior inferior parietal cortex, PFm and PGs combine visuo-motor, visual object, and reward input and connect with the hippocampal system. PGi in addition provides a route to motion-related superior temporal sulcus regions involved in social interactions. PGp has connectivity with intraparietal regions involved in coordinate transforms and may be involved in idiothetic update of hippocampal visual scene representations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edmund T Rolls
- Oxford Centre for Computational Neuroscience, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Department of Computer Science, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai 200403, China
| | - Gustavo Deco
- Computational Neuroscience Group, Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Center for Brain and Cognition, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Roc Boronat 138, Barcelona 08018, Spain
- Brain and Cognition, Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona 08018, Spain
- Institució Catalana de la Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Passeig Lluís Companys 23, Barcelona 08010, Spain
| | - Chu-Chung Huang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (Ministry of Education), School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, Institute of Brain and Education Innovation, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200602, China
- Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Technology, Shanghai 200602, China
| | - Jianfeng Feng
- Department of Computer Science, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai 200403, China
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7
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Pinhas M, Paulsen DJ, Woldorff MG, Brannon EM. Neurophysiological signatures of approximate number system acuity in preschoolers. Trends Neurosci Educ 2023; 30:100197. [PMID: 36925266 DOI: 10.1016/j.tine.2022.100197] [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: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A hallmark of the approximate number system (ANS) is ratio dependence. Previous work identified specific event-related potentials (ERPs) that are modulated by numerical ratio throughout the lifespan. In adults, ERP ratio dependence was correlated with the precision of the numerical judgments with individuals who make more precise judgments showing larger ratio-dependent ERP effects. The current study evaluated if this relationship generalizes to preschoolers. METHOD ERPs were recorded from 56 4.5 to 5.5-year-olds while they compared the numerosity of two sequentially presented dot arrays. Nonverbal numerical precision, often called ANS acuity, was assessed using a similar behavioral task. RESULTS Only children with high ANS acuity exhibited a P2p ratio-dependent effect onsetting ∼250 ms after the presentation of the comparison dot array. Furthermore, P2p amplitude positively correlated with ANS acuity across tasks. CONCLUSION Results demonstrate developmental continuity between preschool years and adulthood in the neural basis of the ANS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Pinhas
- Department of Psychology, Ariel University, Ariel 4070000, Israel.
| | - David J Paulsen
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Marty G Woldorff
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA; Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Elizabeth M Brannon
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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8
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Anobile G, Bartoli M, Masi G, Tacchi A, Tinelli F. Math difficulties in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder do not originate from the visual number sense. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:949391. [PMID: 36393991 PMCID: PMC9649814 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.949391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
There is ample evidence from literature and clinical practice indicating mathematical difficulties in individuals with ADHD, even when there is no concomitant diagnosis of developmental dyscalculia. What factors underlie these difficulties is still an open question. Research on dyscalculia and neurotypical development suggests visual perception of numerosity (the number sense) as a building block for math learning. Participants with lower numerosity estimation thresholds (higher precision) are often those with higher math capabilities. Strangely, the role of numerosity perception in math skills in ADHD has been neglected, leaving open the question whether math difficulties in ADHD also originate from a deficitary visual number sense. In the current study we psychophysically measured numerosity thresholds and accuracy in a sample of children/adolescents with ADHD, but not concomitant dyscalculia (N = 20, 8-16 years). Math abilities were also measured by tasks indexing different mathematical competences. Numerosity performance and math scores were then compared to those obtained from an age-matched control group (N = 20). Bayesian statistics indicated no difference between ADHD and controls on numerosity perception, despite many of the symbolic math tasks being impaired in participants with ADHD. Moreover, the math deficits showed by the group with ADHD remained substantial even when numerosity thresholds were statistically regressed out. Overall, these results indicate that math difficulties in ADHD are unlikely to originate from an impaired visual number sense.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Anobile
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Mariaelisa Bartoli
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Gabriele Masi
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Annalisa Tacchi
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Francesca Tinelli
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
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9
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Paul JM, van Ackooij M, Ten Cate TC, Harvey BM. Numerosity tuning in human association cortices and local image contrast representations in early visual cortex. Nat Commun 2022; 13:1340. [PMID: 35292648 PMCID: PMC8924234 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29030-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Human early visual cortex response amplitudes monotonically increase with numerosity (object number), regardless of object size and spacing. However, numerosity is typically considered a high-level visual or cognitive feature, while early visual responses follow image contrast in the spatial frequency domain. We find that, at fixed contrast, aggregate Fourier power (at all orientations and spatial frequencies) follows numerosity closely but nonlinearly with little effect of object size, spacing or shape. This would allow straightforward numerosity estimation from spatial frequency domain image representations. Using 7T fMRI, we show monotonic responses originate in primary visual cortex (V1) at the stimulus’s retinotopic location. Responses here and in neural network models follow aggregate Fourier power more closely than numerosity. Truly numerosity tuned responses emerge after lateral occipital cortex and are independent of retinotopic location. We propose numerosity’s straightforward perception and neural responses may result from the pervasive spatial frequency analyses of early visual processing. The authors show that spatial frequency domain Fourier power closely but nonlinearly follows numerosity, simplifying computing numerosity from early visual responses. Monotonic early visual cortex and neural network responses follow Fourier power, while later tuned responses follow numerosity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob M Paul
- Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 1, Utrecht, 3584 CS, Netherlands. .,Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Redmond Barry Building, Parkville, 3010, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Martijn van Ackooij
- Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 1, Utrecht, 3584 CS, Netherlands
| | - Tuomas C Ten Cate
- Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 1, Utrecht, 3584 CS, Netherlands
| | - Ben M Harvey
- Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 1, Utrecht, 3584 CS, Netherlands
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10
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Zhang D, Zhou L, Yang A, Li S, Chang C, Liu J, Zhou K. A connectome-based neuromarker of nonverbal number acuity and arithmetic skills. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:881-894. [PMID: 35254408 PMCID: PMC9890459 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2021] [Revised: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The approximate number system (ANS) is vital for survival and reproduction in animals and is crucial for constructing abstract mathematical abilities in humans. Most previous neuroimaging studies focused on identifying discrete brain regions responsible for the ANS and characterizing their functions in numerosity perception. However, a neuromarker to characterize an individual's ANS acuity is lacking, especially one based on whole-brain functional connectivity (FC). Here, based on the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data obtained from a large sample, we identified a distributed brain network (i.e. a numerosity network) using a connectome-based predictive modeling (CPM) analysis. The summed FC strength within the numerosity network reliably predicted individual differences in ANS acuity regarding behavior, as measured using a nonsymbolic number-comparison task. Furthermore, in an independent dataset of the Human Connectome Project (HCP), we found that the summed FC strength within the numerosity network also specifically predicted individual differences in arithmetic skills, but not domain-general cognitive abilities. Therefore, our findings revealed that the identified numerosity network could serve as an applicable neuroimaging-based biomarker of nonverbal number acuity and arithmetic skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dai Zhang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, No. 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China,Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen University Health Science Center, No. 1066, Xueyuan Street, Nanshan District, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Liqin Zhou
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, No. 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Anmin Yang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, No. 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Shanshan Li
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, No. 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Chunqi Chang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen University Health Science Center, No. 1066, Xueyuan Street, Nanshan District, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Jia Liu
- Department of Psychology & Tsinghua Laboratory of Brain and Intelligence, Tsinghua University, No. 30, Shuangqing Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Ke Zhou
- Corresponding author: Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, No. 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China.
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11
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Ranzini M, Scarpazza C, Radua J, Cutini S, Semenza C, Zorzi M. A common neural substrate for number comparison, hand reaching and grasping: a SDM-PSI meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies. Cortex 2022; 148:31-67. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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12
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Maldonado Moscoso PA, Greenlee MW, Anobile G, Arrighi R, Burr DC, Castaldi E. Groupitizing modifies neural coding of numerosity. Hum Brain Mapp 2021; 43:915-928. [PMID: 34877718 PMCID: PMC8764479 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2021] [Revised: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Numerical estimation of arrays of objects is faster and more accurate when items can be clustered into groups, a phenomenon termed “groupitizing.” Grouping can facilitate segregation into subitizable “chunks,” each easily estimated, then summed. The current study investigates whether spatial grouping of arrays drives specific neural responses during numerical estimation, reflecting strategies such as exact calculation and fact retrieval. Fourteen adults were scanned with fMRI while estimating either the numerosity or shape of arrays of items, either randomly distributed or spatially grouped. Numerosity estimation of both classes of stimuli elicited common activation of a right lateralized frontoparietal network. Grouped stimuli additionally recruited regions in the left hemisphere and bilaterally in the angular gyrus. Multivariate pattern analysis showed that classifiers trained with the pattern of neural activations read out from parietal regions, but not from the primary visual areas, can decode different numerosities both within and across spatial arrangements. The behavioral numerical acuity correlated with the decoding performance of the parietal but not with occipital regions. Overall, this experiment suggests that the estimation of grouped stimuli relies on the approximate number system for numerosity estimation, but additionally recruits regions involved in calculation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula A Maldonado Moscoso
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.,Institut für Psychologie, Universität Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Mark W Greenlee
- Institut für Psychologie, Universität Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Giovanni Anobile
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Roberto Arrighi
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - David C Burr
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Elisa Castaldi
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.,Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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13
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Castaldi E, Piazza M, Eger E. Resources Underlying Visuo-Spatial Working Memory Enable Veridical Large Numerosity Perception. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:751098. [PMID: 34867244 PMCID: PMC8634845 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.751098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans can quickly approximate how many objects are in a visual image, but no clear consensus has been achieved on the cognitive resources underlying this ability. Previous work has lent support to the notion that mechanisms which explicitly represent the locations of multiple objects in the visual scene within a mental map are critical for both visuo-spatial working memory and enumeration (at least for relatively small numbers of items). Regarding the cognitive underpinnings of large numerosity perception, an issue currently subject to much controversy is why numerosity estimates are often non-veridical (i.e., susceptible to biases from non-numerical quantities). Such biases have been found to be particularly pronounced in individuals with developmental dyscalculia (DD), a learning disability affecting the acquisition of arithmetic skills. Motivated by findings showing that DD individuals are also often impaired in visuo-spatial working memory, we hypothesized that resources supporting this type of working memory, which allow for the simultaneous identification of multiple objects, might also be critical for precise and unbiased perception of larger numerosities. We therefore tested whether loading working memory of healthy adult participants during discrimination of large numerosities would lead to increased interference from non-numerical quantities. Participants performed a numerosity discrimination task on multi-item arrays in which numerical and non-numerical stimulus dimensions varied congruently or incongruently relative to each other, either in isolation or in the context of a concurrent visuo-spatial or verbal working memory task. During performance of the visuo-spatial, but not verbal, working memory task, precision in numerosity discrimination decreased, participants' choices became strongly biased by item size, and the strength of this bias correlated with measures of arithmetical skills. Moreover, the interference between numerosity and working memory tasks was bidirectional, with number discrimination impacting visuo-spatial (but not verbal) performance. Overall, these results suggest that representing visual numerosity in a way that is unbiased by non-numerical quantities relies on processes which explicitly segregate/identify the locations of multiple objects that are shared with visuo-spatial (but not verbal) working memory. This shared resource may potentially be impaired in DD, explaining the observed co-occurrence of working memory and numerosity discrimination deficits in this clinical population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Castaldi
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Manuela Piazza
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Evelyn Eger
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, INSERM, CEA DRF/JOLIOT, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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14
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Van Rinsveld A, Wens V, Guillaume M, Beuel A, Gevers W, De Tiège X, Content A. Automatic Processing of Numerosity in Human Neocortex Evidenced by Occipital and Parietal Neuromagnetic Responses. Cereb Cortex Commun 2021; 2:tgab028. [PMID: 34296173 PMCID: PMC8152830 DOI: 10.1093/texcom/tgab028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2021] [Revised: 03/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans and other animal species are endowed with the ability to sense, represent, and mentally manipulate the number of items in a set without needing to count them. One central hypothesis is that this ability relies on an automated functional system dedicated to numerosity, the perception of the discrete numerical magnitude of a set of items. This system has classically been associated with intraparietal regions, however accumulating evidence in favor of an early visual number sense calls into question the functional role of parietal regions in numerosity processing. Targeting specifically numerosity among other visual features in the earliest stages of processing requires high temporal and spatial resolution. We used frequency-tagged magnetoencephalography to investigate the early automatic processing of numerical magnitudes and measured the steady-state brain responses specifically evoked by numerical and other visual changes in the visual scene. The neuromagnetic responses showed implicit discrimination of numerosity, total occupied area, and convex hull. The source reconstruction corresponding to the implicit discrimination responses showed common and separate sources along the ventral and dorsal visual pathways. Occipital sources attested the perceptual salience of numerosity similarly to both other implicitly discriminable visual features. Crucially, we found parietal responses uniquely associated with numerosity discrimination, showing automatic processing of numerosity in the parietal cortex, even when not relevant to the task. Taken together, these results provide further insights into the functional roles of parietal and occipital regions in numerosity encoding along the visual hierarchy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amandine Van Rinsveld
- Center for Research in Cognition and Neurosciences (CRCN), UNI – ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels 1050, Belgium
| | - Vincent Wens
- Laboratoire de Cartographie fonctionnelle du Cerveau (LCFC), UNI – ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels 1070, Belgium
- Magnetoencephalography Unit, Department of Functional Neuroimaging, Service of Nuclear Medicine, CUB – Hôpital Erasme, Brussels 1070, Belgium
| | - Mathieu Guillaume
- Center for Research in Cognition and Neurosciences (CRCN), UNI – ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels 1050, Belgium
| | - Anthony Beuel
- Center for Research in Cognition and Neurosciences (CRCN), UNI – ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels 1050, Belgium
| | - Wim Gevers
- Center for Research in Cognition and Neurosciences (CRCN), UNI – ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels 1050, Belgium
| | - Xavier De Tiège
- Laboratoire de Cartographie fonctionnelle du Cerveau (LCFC), UNI – ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels 1070, Belgium
- Magnetoencephalography Unit, Department of Functional Neuroimaging, Service of Nuclear Medicine, CUB – Hôpital Erasme, Brussels 1070, Belgium
| | - Alain Content
- Center for Research in Cognition and Neurosciences (CRCN), UNI – ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels 1050, Belgium
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15
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Pennock IML, Schmidt TT, Zorbek D, Blankenburg F. Representation of visual numerosity information during working memory in humans: An fMRI decoding study. Hum Brain Mapp 2021; 42:2778-2789. [PMID: 33694232 PMCID: PMC8127141 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Revised: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Both animal and human studies on numerosity have shown the importance of the parietal cortex for numerosity processing. However, most studies have focused on the perceptual processing of numerosity. Still, it is unclear how and where numerosity information is coded when this information is retained during a working memory delay phase. Such temporal storage could be realized by the same structures as perceptual processes, or be transformed to a more abstract representation, potentially involving prefrontal regions. FMRI decoding studies allow the identification of brain areas that exhibit multi‐voxel activation patterns specific to the content of working memory. Here, we used an assumption‐free searchlight‐decoding approach to test where numerosity‐specific codes can be found during a 12 s retention period. Participants (n = 24) performed a retro‐cue delayed match‐to‐sample task, in which numerosity information was presented as visual dot arrays. We found mnemonic numerosity‐specific activation in the right lateral portion of the intraparietal sulcus; an area well‐known for perceptual processing of numerosity. The applied retro‐cue design dissociated working memory delay activity from perceptual processes and showed that the intraparietal sulcus also maintained working memory representation independent of perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Morgan Leo Pennock
- Neurocomputation and Neuroimaging Unit (NNU), Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Center for Mind/Brain Sciences - CIMeC, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy.,Institute of Cognitive Science, Universität Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Timo Torsten Schmidt
- Neurocomputation and Neuroimaging Unit (NNU), Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Institute of Cognitive Science, Universität Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Dilara Zorbek
- Neurocomputation and Neuroimaging Unit (NNU), Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Felix Blankenburg
- Neurocomputation and Neuroimaging Unit (NNU), Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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16
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Topographic maps representing haptic numerosity reveals distinct sensory representations in supramodal networks. Nat Commun 2021; 12:221. [PMID: 33431883 PMCID: PMC7801743 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20567-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Dedicated maps for cognitive quantities such as timing, size and numerosity support the view that topography is a general principle of brain organization. To date, however, all of these maps were driven by the visual system. Here, we ask whether there are supramodal topographic maps representing cognitive dimensions irrespective of the stimulated sensory modality. We measured haptically and visually driven numerosity-selective neural responses using model-based analyses and ultra-high field (7T) fMRI. We found topographically organized neural populations tuned to haptic numerosity. The responses to visual or haptic numerosity shared a similar cortical network. However, the maps of the two modalities only partially overlap. Thus, although both visual and haptic numerosities are processed in a similar supramodal functional network, the underlying neural populations may be related, but distinct. Therefore, we hypothesize that overlap between modality-specific maps facilitates cross-modal interactions and supramodal representation of cognitive quantities. Topographically organized tuned responses to haptic numerosity were found in the human brain. The responses to visual or haptic numerosity shared a similar large-scale cortical network, yet the maps of the two modalities only partially overlapped, suggesting distinct underlying neural populations.
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17
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Castaldi E, Vignaud A, Eger E. Mapping subcomponents of numerical cognition in relation to functional and anatomical landmarks of human parietal cortex. Neuroimage 2020; 221:117210. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2020] [Revised: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
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18
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Wilkey ED, Conrad BN, Yeo DJ, Price GR. Shared Numerosity Representations Across Formats and Tasks Revealed with 7 Tesla fMRI: Decoding, Generalization, and Individual Differences in Behavior. Cereb Cortex Commun 2020; 1:tgaa038. [PMID: 34296107 PMCID: PMC8153058 DOI: 10.1093/texcom/tgaa038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Revised: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Debate continues on whether encoding of symbolic number is grounded in nonsymbolic numerical magnitudes. Nevertheless, fluency of perceiving both number formats, and translating between them, predicts math skills across the life span. Therefore, this study asked if numbers share cortical activation patterns across formats and tasks, and whether neural response to number predicts math-related behaviors. We analyzed patterns of neural activation using 7 Tesla functional magnetic resonance imaging in a sample of 39 healthy adults. Discrimination was successful between numerosities 2, 4, 6, and 8 dots and generalized to activation patterns of the same numerosities represented as Arabic digits in the bilateral parietal lobes and left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) (and vice versa). This indicates that numerosity-specific neural resources are shared between formats. Generalization was also successful across tasks where participants either identified or compared numerosities in bilateral parietal lobes and IFG. Individual differences in decoding did not relate to performance on a number comparison task completed outside of the scanner, but generalization between formats and across tasks negatively related to math achievement in the parietal lobes. Together, these findings suggest that individual differences in representational specificity within format and task contexts relate to mathematical expertise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric D Wilkey
- Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, Ontario N6A5B7, Canada
| | - Benjamin N Conrad
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37203, USA
| | - Darren J Yeo
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37203, USA
- Division of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 639818, Singapore
| | - Gavin R Price
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37203, USA
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19
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Lucero C, Brookshire G, Sava-Segal C, Bottini R, Goldin-Meadow S, Vogel EK, Casasanto D. Unconscious Number Discrimination in the Human Visual System. Cereb Cortex 2020; 30:5821-5829. [PMID: 32537630 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Revised: 04/02/2020] [Accepted: 05/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
How do humans compute approximate number? According to one influential theory, approximate number representations arise in the intraparietal sulcus and are amodal, meaning that they arise independent of any sensory modality. Alternatively, approximate number may be computed initially within sensory systems. Here we tested for sensitivity to approximate number in the visual system using steady state visual evoked potentials. We recorded electroencephalography from humans while they viewed dotclouds presented at 30 Hz, which alternated in numerosity (ranging from 10 to 20 dots) at 15 Hz. At this rate, each dotcloud backward masked the previous dotcloud, disrupting top-down feedback to visual cortex and preventing conscious awareness of the dotclouds' numerosities. Spectral amplitude at 15 Hz measured over the occipital lobe (Oz) correlated positively with the numerical ratio of the stimuli, even when nonnumerical stimulus attributes were controlled, indicating that subjects' visual systems were differentiating dotclouds on the basis of their numerical ratios. Crucially, subjects were unable to discriminate the numerosities of the dotclouds consciously, indicating the backward masking of the stimuli disrupted reentrant feedback to visual cortex. Approximate number appears to be computed within the visual system, independently of higher-order areas, such as the intraparietal sulcus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ché Lucero
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | | | - Clara Sava-Segal
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Roberto Bottini
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | | | - Edward K Vogel
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Daniel Casasanto
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
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20
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Wilkey ED, Ansari D. Challenging the neurobiological link between number sense and symbolic numerical abilities. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2019; 1464:76-98. [PMID: 31549430 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Revised: 07/25/2019] [Accepted: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
A significant body of research links individual differences in symbolic numerical abilities, such as arithmetic, to number sense, the neurobiological system used to approximate and manipulate quantities without language or symbols. However, recent findings from cognitive neuroscience challenge this influential theory. Our current review presents an overview of evidence for the number sense account of symbolic numerical abilities and then reviews recent studies that challenge this account, organized around the following four assertions. (1) There is no number sense as traditionally conceived. (2) Neural substrates of number sense are more widely distributed than common consensus asserts, complicating the neurobiological evidence linking number sense to numerical abilities. (3) The most common measures of number sense are confounded by other cognitive demands, which drive key correlations. (4) Number sense and symbolic number systems (Arabic digits, number words, and so on) rely on distinct neural mechanisms and follow independent developmental trajectories. The review follows each assertion with comments on future directions that may bring resolution to these issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric D Wilkey
- Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Daniel Ansari
- Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
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21
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Castaldi E, Piazza M, Dehaene S, Vignaud A, Eger E. Attentional amplification of neural codes for number independent of other quantities along the dorsal visual stream. eLife 2019; 8:45160. [PMID: 31339490 PMCID: PMC6693892 DOI: 10.7554/elife.45160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2019] [Accepted: 07/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans and other animals base important decisions on estimates of number, and intraparietal cortex is thought to provide a crucial substrate of this ability. However, it remains debated whether an independent neuronal processing mechanism underlies this ‘number sense’, or whether number is instead judged indirectly on the basis of other quantitative features. We performed high-resolution 7 Tesla fMRI while adult human volunteers attended either to the numerosity or an orthogonal dimension (average item size) of visual dot arrays. Along the dorsal visual stream, numerosity explained a significant amount of variance in activation patterns, above and beyond non-numerical dimensions. Its representation was selectively amplified and progressively enhanced across the hierarchy when task relevant. Our results reveal a sensory extraction mechanism yielding information on numerosity separable from other dimensions already at early visual stages and suggest that later regions along the dorsal stream are most important for explicit manipulation of numerical quantity. Numbers and the ability to count and calculate are an essential part of human culture. They are part of everyday life, featuring in calendars, computers or the weekly shop, but also in some of humanity’s biggest achievements: without them the pyramids or space travel would not exist. A precursor of sophisticated mathematical skill could reside in a simpler mental ability: the capacity to assess numerical quantities at a glance. This ‘number sense’ appears in humans in early childhood and it is also present in other animals, but it is still poorly understood. Brain imaging techniques have identified the parts of the brain that are active when perceiving numbers or making calculations. As techniques have advanced, it has become possible to resolve fine differences in brain activity that occur when people switch their attention between different visual tasks. But how exactly does the human brain process visual information to make sense of numbers? One theory suggests that humans use visual cues, such as the size of a group of objects or how densely packed objects are, to estimate numbers. On the other hand, it is also possible that humans can sense number directly, without reference to other properties of the group being observed. Castaldi et al. presented twenty adult volunteers with groups of dots and asked them to focus either on the number of dots or on the size of the dots during a brain scan. This approach allowed the separation of brain signals specific to number from signals corresponding to other visual cues, such as size or density of the group. The experiment revealed that brain activity changed depending on the number of dots displayed. The signal related to number became stronger when people focused on the number of dots, while signals related to other properties of the group remained unchanged. Moreover, brain signals for number were observed at the very early stages of visual processing, in the parts of the brain that receive input from the eyes first. These results suggest that the human visual system perceives number directly, and not by processing information about the size or density of a group of objects. This finding provides insights into how human brains encode numbers, which could be important to understand disorders where number sense can be impaired leading to difficulties learning math and operating with numbers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Castaldi
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DRF/JOLIOT, 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
| | - Stanislas Dehaene
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DRF/JOLIOT, INSERM, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Alexandre Vignaud
- UNIRS, CEA DRF/JOLIOT, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Evelyn Eger
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DRF/JOLIOT, INSERM, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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22
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Doricchi F, Willmes K, Burr D. Number cognition. Cortex 2019; 114:1-4. [PMID: 30999988 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2019.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2019] [Revised: 03/30/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Fabrizio Doricchi
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", Italy; Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, Roma, Italy.
| | - Klaus Willmes
- Department of Neurology, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
| | - David Burr
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
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23
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Recruitment of the occipital cortex by arithmetic processing follows computational bias in the congenitally blind. Neuroimage 2019; 186:549-556. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.11.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2018] [Revised: 11/20/2018] [Accepted: 11/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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24
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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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25
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Anobile G, Burr DC, Iaia M, Marinelli CV, Angelelli P, Turi M. Independent adaptation mechanisms for numerosity and size perception provide evidence against a common sense of magnitude. Sci Rep 2018; 8:13571. [PMID: 30206271 PMCID: PMC6134088 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-31893-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 08/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
How numerical quantity is processed is a central issue for cognition. On the one hand the "number sense theory" claims that numerosity is perceived directly, and may represent an early precursor for acquisition of mathematical skills. On the other, the "theory of magnitude" notes that numerosity correlates with many continuous properties such as size and density, and may therefore not exist as an independent feature, but be part of a more general system of magnitude. In this study we examined interactions in sensitivity between numerosity and size perception. In a group of children, we measured psychophysically two sensory parameters: perceptual adaptation and discrimination thresholds for both size and numerosity. Neither discrimination thresholds nor adaptation strength for numerosity and size correlated across participants. This clear lack of correlation (confirmed by Bayesian analyses) suggests that numerosity and size interference effects are unlikely to reflect a shared sensory representation. We suggest these small interference effects may rather result from top-down phenomena occurring at late decisional levels rather than a primary "sense of magnitude".
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Anobile
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, Stella Maris Scientific Institute, Calambrone Pisa, Italy.
| | - David C Burr
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicines and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Marika Iaia
- Department of History, Society and Human Studies, Lab. of Applied Psychology and Intervention, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | - Chiara V Marinelli
- Department of History, Society and Human Studies, Lab. of Applied Psychology and Intervention, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
- IRCSS Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Angelelli
- Department of History, Society and Human Studies, Lab. of Applied Psychology and Intervention, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | - Marco Turi
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicines and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
- Fondazione Stella Maris Mediterraneo, Chiaromonte, Potenza, Italy
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