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Abstract
The human brain possesses neural networks and mechanisms enabling the representation of numbers, basic arithmetic operations, and mathematical reasoning. Without the ability to represent numerical quantity and perform calculations, our scientifically and technically advanced culture would not exist. However, the origins of numerical abilities are grounded in an intuitive understanding of quantity deeply rooted in biology. Nevertheless, more advanced symbolic arithmetic skills require a cultural background with formal mathematical education. In the past two decades, cognitive neuroscience has seen significant progress in understanding the workings of the calculating brain through various methods and model systems. This review begins by exploring the mental and neuronal representations of nonsymbolic numerical quantity and then progresses to symbolic representations acquired in childhood. During arithmetic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division), these representations are processed and transformed according to arithmetic rules and principles, leveraging different mental strategies and types of arithmetic knowledge that can be dissociated in the brain. Although it was once believed that number processing and calculation originated from the language faculty, it is now evident that mathematical and linguistic abilities are primarily processed independently in the brain. Understanding how the healthy brain processes numerical information is crucial for gaining insights into debilitating numerical disorders, including acquired conditions like acalculia and learning-related calculation disorders such as developmental dyscalculia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Nieder
- Animal Physiology Unit, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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Wu J, Ji Y, Qu H, Zuo S, Liang J, Su J, Wang Q, Yan G, Ding G. Transcranial magnetic stimulation of the right inferior frontal gyrus impairs bilinguals' performance in language-switching tasks. Cognition 2024; 254:105963. [PMID: 39340870 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2024.105963] [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: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 07/23/2024] [Accepted: 09/15/2024] [Indexed: 09/30/2024]
Abstract
It is widely accepted that bilinguals activate both languages simultaneously, even when intending to speak only one. A prevailing theory proposes that bilinguals inhibit the nontarget language to produce the target language, thought to be supported by evidence that the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG), a region typically associated with inhibition, is activated during language-switching tasks. However, it remains unclear whether the rIFG plays a causal or epiphenomenal role in this process. To explore the role of the rIFG, the present study employed transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to modulate its neural activity and evaluate subsequent behavior in bilinguals. Specifically, twenty-nine Chinese-English bilinguals participated in the study and performed picture-naming tasks in single- and dual-language contexts after receiving sham stimulation (Sham), continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS), or intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) over the rIFG in three separate visits. Sham served as a control, with cTBS and iTBS intended to decrease and increase cortical excitability, respectively. We found that, compared to Sham, cTBS led to larger asymmetric switching costs and smaller asymmetric mixing costs, whereas iTBS resulted only in smaller asymmetric mixing costs. These findings suggest that cTBS targeting the rIFG likely impairs both local and global control. However, iTBS applied to the rIFG alone may not necessarily enhance language control mechanisms and could even hinder global control. Moreover, exploratory analyses found pronounced TMS-induced impairments in less balanced bilinguals, implying their potentially greater reliance on bilingual language control. Overall, this study is the first to suggest a causal role of the rIFG in language switching.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junjie Wu
- Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education, Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China; Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Student Mental Health and Intelligence Assessment, Tianjin 300387, China
| | - Yannan Ji
- Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education, Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China; Clinical College, Chengde Medical University, Chengde 067000, China; Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China
| | - Hongfu Qu
- Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education, Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China; Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China
| | - Shuyue Zuo
- Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education, Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China; Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China
| | - Jinsong Liang
- Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education, Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China; Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China
| | - Juan Su
- Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education, Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China; Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Student Mental Health and Intelligence Assessment, Tianjin 300387, China
| | - Qiping Wang
- School of International Chinese Language Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Guoli Yan
- Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education, Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China; Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Student Mental Health and Intelligence Assessment, Tianjin 300387, China.
| | - Guosheng Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
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Leon Guerrero S, Mesite L, Luk G. Distinct functional connectivity patterns during naturalistic learning by adolescent first versus second language speakers. Sci Rep 2024; 14:18984. [PMID: 39152202 PMCID: PMC11329752 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-69575-1] [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: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 08/06/2024] [Indexed: 08/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Spoken lessons (lectures) are commonly used in schools as a medium for conveying educational content. In adolescence, experience-expectant maturation of language and cognitive systems supports learning; however, little is known about whether or how learners' language experiences interact with this integration process during learning. We examined functional connectivity using fMRI in 38 Spanish-English bilingual (L1-Spanish) and English monolingual (L1-English) adolescents during a naturalistic science video lesson in English. Seed analyses including the left inferior frontal gyrus (pars opercularis) and posterior middle temporal gyrus showed that L1-Spanish adolescents, when learning in their second language (L2), displayed widespread bilateral functional connectivity throughout the cortex while L1-English adolescents displayed mostly left-lateralized connectivity with core language regions over the course of the science lesson. Furthermore, we identified functional seed connectivity associated with better learning outcomes for adolescents with diverse language backgrounds. Importantly, functional connectivity patterns in L1-Spanish adolescents while learning in English also correlate with their Spanish cloze reading. Findings suggest that functional networks associated with higher-order language processing and cognitive control are differentially engaged for L1 vs. L2 speakers while learning new information through spoken language.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Laura Mesite
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, USA
| | - Gigi Luk
- McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
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Li A, Yang R, Qu J, Dong J, Gu L, Mei L. Neural representation of phonological information during Chinese character reading. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 43:4013-4029. [PMID: 35545935 PMCID: PMC9374885 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have revealed that phonological processing of Chinese characters elicited activation in the left prefrontal cortex, bilateral parietal cortex, and occipitotemporal regions. However, it is controversial what role the left middle frontal gyrus plays in Chinese character reading, and whether the core regions (e.g., the left superior temporal gyrus and supramarginal gyrus) for phonological processing of alphabetic languages are also involved in Chinese character reading. To address these questions, the present study used both univariate and multivariate analysis (i.e., representational similarity analysis, RSA) to explore neural representations of phonological information during Chinese character reading. Participants were scanned while performing a reading aloud task. Univariate activation analysis revealed a widely distributed network for word reading, including the bilateral inferior frontal gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, lateral temporal cortex, and occipitotemporal cortex. More importantly, RSA showed that the left prefrontal (i.e., the left middle frontal gyrus and left inferior frontal gyrus) and bilateral occipitotemporal areas (i.e., the left inferior and middle temporal gyrus and bilateral fusiform gyrus) represented phonological information of Chinese characters. These results confirmed the importance of the left middle frontal gyrus and regions in ventral pathway in representing phonological information of Chinese characters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aqian Li
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents, South China Normal University, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China.,School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Rui Yang
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents, South China Normal University, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China.,School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jing Qu
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents, South China Normal University, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China.,School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jie Dong
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents, South China Normal University, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China.,School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lala Gu
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents, South China Normal University, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China.,School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Leilei Mei
- Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents, South China Normal University, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China
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