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Bahreini N, Artemenko C, Plewnia C, Nuerk HC. tDCS effects in basic symbolic number magnitude processing are not significantly lateralized. Sci Rep 2023; 13:21515. [PMID: 38057342 PMCID: PMC10700326 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48189-z] [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: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Functional lateralization was previously established for various cognitive domains-but not for number processing. Although numbers are considered to be bilaterally represented in the intraparietal sulcus (IPS), there are some indications of different functional roles of the left vs. right IPS in processing number pairs with small vs. large distance, respectively. This raises the question whether number size plays a distinct role in the lateralization within the IPS. In our preregistered study, we applied anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the left vs. right IPS to investigate the effect of stimulation as compared to sham on small vs. large distance, in both single-digit and two-digit number comparison. We expected that anodal tDCS over the left IPS facilitates number comparison with small distance, while anodal tDCS over the right IPS facilitates number comparison with large distance. Results indicated no effect of stimulation; however, exploratory analyses revealed that tDCS over the right IPS slowed down single-digit number processing after controlling for the training effect. In conclusion, number magnitude processing might be bilaterally represented in the IPS, however, our exploratory analyses emphasise the need for further investigation on functional lateralization of number processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narjes Bahreini
- Department of Psychology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.
| | | | - Christian Plewnia
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Neurophysiology and Interventional Neuropsychiatry, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
- German Centre for Mental Health (DZPG), Jena, Germany
| | - Hans-Christoph Nuerk
- Department of Psychology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
- German Centre for Mental Health (DZPG), Jena, Germany
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2
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Rugani R, Zhang Y, Scarsi B, Regolin L. Hybro chicks outperform Ross308 in a numerical-ordinal task. Cognitive and behavioral comparisons between 2 broiler strains of newborn domestic chicks (Gallus gallus). Poult Sci 2023; 102:103148. [PMID: 37890387 PMCID: PMC10613917 DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2023.103148] [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: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Domestic chickens (Gallus gallus) are among those species subject to intensive selection for production. Among the most widely used broiler strains are the Ross308 and the Hybro. From the perspective of animal production, Ross308 were superior to Hybro in weight gain, final body mass, and feed conversion. Intensive selection is thought to also cause behavioral changes and to negatively affect cognitive abilities. Up to date, though, no evidence has been provided on broiler breeds. The aim of this study was to explore cognitive differences among Hybro and Ross308 chickens by assessing their ordinal-numerical abilities. Chicks learned learnt to find a food reward in the 4th container in a series of 10 identical and sagittally aligned containers. We designed a standard training procedure ensuring that all chicks received the same amount of training. The chicks underwent 2 tests: a sagittal and a fronto-parallel one. In the former test, the series was identical to that experienced during training. In the fronto-parallel test, the series was rotated by 90°, thus left-to-right oriented, to assess the capability of transferring the learnt rule with a novel spatial orientation. In the sagittal test, both chicken hybrids selected the 4th item above chance; interestingly the Hybro outperformed the Ross308 chicks. In the fronto-parallel test, both strains selected the 4th left and the 4th right container above chance; nevertheless, the Hybro chicks were more accurate. Our results support the hypothesis that intense selection for production can influence animal cognition and behavior, with implications on animal husbandry and welfare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosa Rugani
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, 35100 Padova, Italy.
| | - Yujia Zhang
- Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padua, 35100 Padova, Italy; Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, 43210 Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Beatrice Scarsi
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, 35100 Padova, Italy
| | - Lucia Regolin
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, 35100 Padova, Italy
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3
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Butterworth B. Categorising: Inside the crow's brain. Curr Biol 2023; 33:R694-R695. [PMID: 37339600 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.05.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/22/2023]
Abstract
Crows can learn to categorise line lengths into experimenter-defined categories. The crow's brain codes and recodes line lengths in individual neurons in the nidopallium caudolaterale, part of the telencephalon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Butterworth
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, 17 Queen Square, London WC1N 3AR, UK.
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4
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Passive Grouping Enhances Proto-Arithmetic Calculation for Leftward Correct Responses. Symmetry (Basel) 2023. [DOI: 10.3390/sym15030719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Baby chicks and other animals including human infants master simple arithmetic. They discriminate 2 vs. 3 (1 + 1 vs. 1 + 1 + 1) but fail with 3 vs. 4 (1 + 1 + 1 vs. 1 + 1 + 1 + 1). Performance is restored when elements are grouped as 2 + 1 vs. 2 + 2. Here, we address whether grouping could lead to asymmetric response bias. We recoded behavioural data from a previous study, in which separate groups of four-day-old domestic chicks underwent an arithmetic task: when the objects were presented one-by-one (1 + 1 + 1 vs. 1 + 1 + 1 + 1), chicks failed in locating the larger group irrespective of its position and did not show any side bias; Experiment 1. When the objects were presented as grouped (2 + 1 vs. 2 + 2), chicks succeeded, performing better when the larger set was on their left; Experiment 2. A similar leftward bias was also observed with harder discriminations (4 vs. 5: 3 + 1 vs. 3 + 2), with baby chicks succeeding in the task only when the larger set was on the left (Experiments 3 and 4). A previous study showed a rightward bias, with tasks enhancing individual processing. Despite a similar effect in boosting proto-arithmetic calculations, individual processing (eliciting a right bias) and grouping (eliciting a left bias) seem to depend on distinct cognitive mechanisms.
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5
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Matsushima T, Miura M, Patzke N, Toji N, Wada K, Ogura Y, Homma KJ, Sgadò P, Vallortigara G. Fetal blockade of nicotinic acetylcholine transmission causes autism-like impairment of biological motion preference in the neonatal chick. Cereb Cortex Commun 2022; 3:tgac041. [PMID: 37674673 PMCID: PMC10478028 DOI: 10.1093/texcom/tgac041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2022] [Revised: 10/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 09/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Several environmental chemicals are suspected risk factors for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including valproic acid (VPA) and pesticides acting on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), if administered during pregnancy. However, their target processes in fetal neuro-development are unknown. We report that the injection of VPA into the fetus impaired imprinting to an artificial object in neonatal chicks, while a predisposed preference for biological motion (BM) remained intact. Blockade of nAChRs acted oppositely, sparing imprinting and impairing BM preference. Beside ketamine and tubocurarine, significant effects of imidacloprid (a neonicotinoid insecticide) appeared at a dose ≤1 ppm. In accord with the behavioral dissociations, VPA enhanced histone acetylation in the primary cell culture of fetal telencephalon, whereas ketamine did not. VPA reduced the brain weight and the ratio of NeuN-positive cells (matured neurons) in the telencephalon of hatchlings, whereas ketamine/tubocurarine did not. Despite the distinct underlying mechanisms, both VPA and nAChR blockade similarly impaired imprinting to biological image composed of point-light animations. Furthermore, both impairments were abolished by postnatal bumetanide treatment, suggesting a common pathology underlying the social attachment malformation. Neurotransmission via nAChR is thus critical for the early social bond formation, which is hindered by ambient neonicotinoids through impaired visual predispositions for animate objects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshiya Matsushima
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science, Health Science University of Hokkaido, Tobetsu 061-0293, Japan
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto 38068, Italy
| | - Momoko Miura
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science, Health Science University of Hokkaido, Tobetsu 061-0293, Japan
| | - Nina Patzke
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
- Health and Medical University, Potsdam 14471, Germany
| | - Noriyuki Toji
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Wada
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
| | - Yukiko Ogura
- Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8654, Japan
- Japan Science and Technology Agency, PRESTO, Kawaguchi 332-0012, Japan
| | - Koichi J Homma
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Teikyo University, Tokyo 173-8605, Japan
| | - Paola Sgadò
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto 38068, Italy
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6
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Loconsole M, De Agrò M, Regolin L. Young chicks rely on symmetry/asymmetry in perceptual grouping to discriminate sets of elements. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20211570. [PMID: 34428963 PMCID: PMC8385359 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Grouping sets of elements into smaller, equal-sized, subsets constitutes a perceptual strategy employed by humans and other animals to enhance cognitive performance. Here, we show that day-old chicks can solve extremely complex numerical discriminations (Exp.1), and that their performance can be enhanced by the presence of symmetrical/asymmetrical colour grouping (Exp.2 versus Exp.3). Newborn chicks were habituated for 1 h to even numerosities (sets of elements presented on a screen) and then tested for their spontaneous choice among what for humans would be considered a prime and a non-prime odd numerosity. Chicks discriminated and preferred the prime over the composite set of elements irrespective of its relative magnitude (i.e. 7 versus 9 and 11 versus 9). We discuss this result in terms of novelty preference. By employing a more complex contrast (i.e. 13 versus 15), we investigated the limits of such a mechanism and showed that induced grouping positively affects chicks' performance. Our results suggest the existence of a spontaneous mechanism that enables chicks to create symmetrical (i.e. same-sized) subgroups of sets of elements. Chicks preferentially inspected numerosities for which same-sized grouping is never possible (i.e. the prime numerosity) rather than numerosities allowing for symmetrical grouping (i.e. composite).
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Loconsole
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Massimo De Agrò
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
- John Harvard Distinguished Science Fellows Program, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Lucia Regolin
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
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7
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Sun W, Li B, Ma C. Rhesus Monkeys Have a Counting Ability and Can Count from One to Six. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11081011. [PMID: 34439630 PMCID: PMC8394657 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11081011] [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: 06/09/2021] [Revised: 07/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Counting ability is one of the many aspects of animal cognition and has enjoyed great interest over the last couple of decades. The impetus for studying counting ability in nonhuman animals has likely come from more than a general interest in animal cognition, as the analysis of animal abilities amplifies our understanding of human cognition. In addition, a model animal with the ability to count could be used to replace human subjects in related studies. Here we designed a behavioral paradigm to train rhesus monkeys to count 1-to-6 visual patterns presented sequentially with long and irregular interpattern intervals on a touch screen. The monkeys were required to make a response to the sixth pattern exclusively, inhibiting response to any patterns appearing at other ordinal positions. All stimulus patterns were of the same size, color, location, and shape to prevent monkeys making the right choice due to non-number physical cues. In the long delay period, the monkey had to enumerate how many patterns had been presented sequentially and had to remember in which ordinal position the current pattern was located. Otherwise, it was impossible for them to know which pattern was the target one. The results show that all three monkeys learned to correctly choose the sixth pattern within 3 months. This study provides convincing behavioral evidence that rhesus monkeys may have the capacity to count.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiming Sun
- Center for Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Institute of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China; (W.S.); (B.L.)
- School of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
| | - Baoming Li
- Center for Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Institute of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China; (W.S.); (B.L.)
- School of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
| | - Chaolin Ma
- Center for Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Institute of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China; (W.S.); (B.L.)
- School of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
- Correspondence:
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9
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Kirschhock ME, Ditz HM, Nieder A. Behavioral and Neuronal Representation of Numerosity Zero in the Crow. J Neurosci 2021; 41:4889-4896. [PMID: 33875573 PMCID: PMC8260164 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0090-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Revised: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Different species of animals can discriminate numerosity, the countable number of objects in a set. The representations of countable numerosities have been deciphered down to the level of single neurons. However, despite its importance for human number theory, a special numerical quantity, the empty set (numerosity zero), has remained largely unexplored. We explored the behavioral and neuronal representation of the empty set in carrion crows. Crows were trained to discriminate small numerosities including the empty set. Performance data showed a numerical distance effect for the empty set in one crow, suggesting that the empty set and countable numerosities are represented along the crows' "mental number line." Single-cell recordings in the endbrain region nidopallium caudolaterale (NCL) showed a considerable proportion of NCL neurons tuned to the preferred numerosity zero. As evidenced by neuronal distance and size effects, NCL neurons integrated the empty set in the neural number line. A subsequent neuronal population analysis using a statistical classifier approach showed that the neuronal numerical representations were predictive of the crows' success in the task. These behavioral and neuronal data suggests that the conception of the empty set as a cognitive precursor of a zero-like number concept is not an exclusive property of the cerebral cortex of primates. Zero as a quantitative category cannot only be implemented in the layered neocortex of primates, but also in the anatomically distinct endbrain circuitries of birds that evolved based on convergent evolution.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The conception of "nothing" as number "zero" is celebrated as one of the greatest achievements in mathematics. To explore whether precursors of zero-like concepts can be found in vertebrates with a cerebrum that anatomically differs starkly from our primate brain, we investigated this in carrion crows. We show that crows can grasp the empty set as a null numerical quantity that is mentally represented next to number one. Moreover, we show that single neurons in an associative avian cerebral region specifically respond to the empty set and show the same physiological characteristics as for countable quantities. This suggests that zero as a quantitative category can also be implemented in the anatomically distinct endbrain circuitries of birds that evolved based on convergent evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian E Kirschhock
- Animal Physiology Unit, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Helen M Ditz
- Animal Physiology Unit, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andreas Nieder
- Animal Physiology Unit, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
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10
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Abstract
Enumerating objects in the environment (i.e., “number sense”) is crucial for survival in many animal species, and foundational for the construction of more abstract and complex mathematical knowledge in humans. Perhaps surprisingly, deep convolutional neural networks (DCNNs) spontaneously emerge a similar number sense even without any explicit training for numerosity estimation. However, little is known about how the number sense emerges, and the extent to which it is comparable with human number sense. Here, we examined whether the numerosity underestimation effect, a phenomenon indicating that numerosity perception acts upon the perceptual number rather than the physical number, can be observed in DCNNs. In a typical DCNN, AlexNet, we found that number-selective units at late layers operated on the perceptual number, like humans do. More importantly, this perceptual number sense did not emerge abruptly, rather developed progressively along the hierarchy in the DCNN, shifting from the physical number sense at early layers to perceptual number sense at late layers. Our finding hence provides important implications for the neural implementation of number sense in the human brain and advocates future research to determine whether the representation of numerosity also develops gradually along the human visual stream from physical number to perceptual number.
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11
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12
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Response of male and female domestic chicks to change in the number (quantity) of imprinting objects. Learn Behav 2020; 49:54-66. [PMID: 33025570 PMCID: PMC7979580 DOI: 10.3758/s13420-020-00446-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
When facing two sets of imprinting objects of different numerousness, domestic chicks prefer to approach the larger one. Given that choice for familiar and novel stimuli in imprinting situations is known to be affected by the sex of the animals, we investigated how male and female domestic chicks divide the time spent in the proximity of a familiar versus an unfamiliar number of objects, and how animals interact (by pecking) with these objects. We confirmed that chicks discriminate among the different numerousnesses, but we also showed that females and males behave differently, depending on the degree of familiarity of the objects. When objects in the testing sets were all familiar, females equally explored both sets and pecked at all objects individually. Males instead selectively approached the familiar numerousness and pecked more at it. When both testing sets comprised familiar as well as novel objects, both males and females approached the larger numerousness of familiar objects. However, chicks directed all their pecks toward the novel object within the set. Differences in the behavior of males and females can be accounted for in terms of sex difference in the motivation to reinstate social contact with the familiar objects and to explore novel ones, likely associated with the ecology and the social structure of the species before domestication.
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13
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Individually distinctive features facilitate numerical discrimination of sets of objects in domestic chicks. Sci Rep 2020; 10:16408. [PMID: 33009471 PMCID: PMC7532216 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-73431-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Day-old domestic chicks approach the larger of two groups of identical objects, but in a 3 vs 4 comparison, their performance is random. Here we investigated whether adding individually distinctive features to each object would facilitate such discrimination. Chicks reared with 7 objects were presented with the operation 1 + 1 + 1 vs 1 + 1 + 1 + 1. When objects were all identical, chicks performed randomly, as expected (Experiment 1). In the remaining experiments, objects differed from one another due to additional features. Chicks succeeded when those features were differently oriented segments (Experiment 2) but failed when the features were arranged to depict individually different face-like displays (Experiment 3). Discrimination was restored if the face-like stimuli were presented upside-down, disrupting global processing (Experiment 4). Our results support the claim that numerical discrimination in 3 vs 4 comparison benefits from the presence of distinctive features that enhance object individuation due to individual processing. Interestingly, when the distinctive features are arranged into upright face-like displays, the process is susceptible to global over local interference due to configural processing. This study was aimed at assessing whether individual object processing affects numerical discrimination. We hypothesise that in humans similar strategies aimed at improving performance at the non-symbolic level may have positive effects on symbolic mathematical abilities.
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Castaldi E, Burr D, Turi M, Binda P. Fast saccadic eye-movements in humans suggest that numerosity perception is automatic and direct. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201884. [PMID: 32962551 PMCID: PMC7542817 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Fast saccades are rapid automatic oculomotor responses to salient and ecologically important visual stimuli such as animals and faces. Discriminating the number of friends, foe, or prey may also have an evolutionary advantage. In this study, participants were asked to saccade rapidly towards the more numerous of two arrays. Participants could discriminate numerosities with high accuracy and great speed, as fast as 190 ms. Intermediate numerosities were more likely to elicit fast saccades than very low or very high numerosities. Reaction-times for vocal responses (collected in a separate experiment) were slower, did not depend on numerical range, and correlated only with the slow not the fast saccades, pointing to different systems. The short saccadic reaction-times we observe are surprising given that discrimination using numerosity estimation is thought to require a relatively complex neural circuit, with several relays of information through the parietal and prefrontal cortex. Our results suggest that fast numerosity-driven saccades may be generated on a single feed-forward pass of information recruiting a primitive system that cuts through the cortical hierarchy and rapidly transforms the numerosity information into a saccade command.
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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
| | - David Burr
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.,Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council, Pisa, Italy
| | - Marco Turi
- Stella Maris Mediterraneo Foundation, Chiaromonte, Italy
| | - Paola Binda
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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15
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Franzon F, Zanini C, Rugani R. Cognitive and communicative pressures in the emergence of grammatical structure: A closer look at whether number sense is encoded in privileged ways. Cogn Neuropsychol 2020; 37:355-358. [DOI: 10.1080/02643294.2020.1802241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Franzon
- Neuroscience Area, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Chiara Zanini
- Romanisches Seminar (RoSe), Universität Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Rosa Rugani
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Masson N, Andres M, Alsamour M, Bollen Z, Pesenti M. Spatial biases in mental arithmetic are independent of reading/writing habits: Evidence from French and Arabic speakers. Cognition 2020; 200:104262. [PMID: 32480066 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Revised: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The representation of numbers in human adults is linked to space. In Western cultures, small and large numbers are associated respectively with the left and right sides of space. An influential framework attributes the emergence of these spatial-numerical associations (SNAs) to cultural factors such as the direction of reading and writing, because SNAs were found to be reduced or inverted in right-to-left readers/writers (e.g., Arabic, Farsi, or Hebrew speakers). However, recent cross-cultural and animal studies cast doubt on the determining role of reading and writing directions on SNAs. In this study, we assessed this role in mental arithmetic, which requires explicit number manipulations and has revealed robust leftward or rightward biases in Western participants. We used a temporal order judgement task in French and Arabic speakers, two languages that have opposite reading/writing directions. Participants had to solve subtraction and addition problems presented auditorily while at the same time determining which of a left or right visual target appeared first on a screen. The results showed that the right target was favoured more often when solving additions than when solving subtractions both in the French- (n = 31) and Arabic-speaking (n = 25) groups. This was true even in Arabic-speaking participants whose preference for ordering of various series of numerical and non-numerical stimuli went from right to left (n = 10). These results indicate that SNAs in mental arithmetic cannot be explained by the direction of reading/writing habits and call for a reconsideration of current models to acknowledge the pervasive role of biological factors in SNAs in adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Masson
- Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium.
| | - Michael Andres
- Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium; Institute of Neuroscience, Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium
| | - Marie Alsamour
- Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium
| | - Zoé Bollen
- Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium
| | - Mauro Pesenti
- Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium; Institute of Neuroscience, Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium.
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Faye A, Jacquin-Courtois S, Reynaud E, Lesourd M, Besnard J, Osiurak F. Numerical cognition: A meta-analysis of neuroimaging, transcranial magnetic stimulation and brain-damaged patients studies. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2019; 24:102053. [PMID: 31795045 PMCID: PMC6978218 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.102053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Revised: 10/01/2019] [Accepted: 10/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
We review neuroimaging, TMS, and patients studies on numerical cognition. We focused on the predictions derived from the Triple Code Model (TCM). Our findings generally agree with TCM predictions. Our results open avenues for the study of the neural bases of numerical cognition.
This article offers the first comprehensive review examining the neurocognitive bases of numerical cognition from neuroimaging, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and brain-damaged patients studies. We focused on the predictions derived from the Triple Code Model (TCM), particularly the assumption that the representation of numerical quantities rests on a single format-independent representation (i.e., the analogical code) involving both intraparietal sulci (IPS). To do so, we conducted a meta-analysis based on 28 neuroimaging, 12 TMS and 12 brain-damaged patients studies, including arithmetic and magnitude tasks in symbolic and non-symbolic formats. Our findings generally agree with the TCM predictions indicating that both IPS are engaged in all tasks. Nonetheless, the results of brain-damaged patients studies conflicted with neuroimaging and TMS studies, suggesting a right hemisphere lateralization for non-symbolic formats. Our findings also led us to discuss the involvement of brain regions other than IPS in the processing of the analogical code as well as the neural substrate of other codes underlying numerical cognition (i.e., the auditory-verbal code).
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandrine Faye
- Laboratoire d'Etude des Mécanismes Cognitifs (EA 3082), Université de Lyon, France.
| | - Sophie Jacquin-Courtois
- Integrative, Multisensory, Perception, Action, & Cognition Team (INSERM-CNRS-UMR 5292), Université de Lyon, France; Mouvement et Handicap, Hospices Civils de Lyon et Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, Hôpital Henry Gabrielle, St Genis Laval, France
| | - Emanuelle Reynaud
- Laboratoire d'Etude des Mécanismes Cognitifs (EA 3082), Université de Lyon, France
| | - Mathieu Lesourd
- Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, LNC, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives, Marseille, France; Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, Fédération 3C, Marseille, France
| | - Jérémy Besnard
- Laboratoire de Psychologie des Pays de la Loire (EA 4638), Université de Nantes et d'Angers, France
| | - François Osiurak
- Laboratoire d'Etude des Mécanismes Cognitifs (EA 3082), Université de Lyon, France; Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
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18
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Vasas V, Chittka L. Insect-Inspired Sequential Inspection Strategy Enables an Artificial Network of Four Neurons to Estimate Numerosity. iScience 2018; 11:85-92. [PMID: 30590253 PMCID: PMC6308245 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2018.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2018] [Revised: 11/29/2018] [Accepted: 12/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Varying levels of numerical cognition have been found in several animal species. Bees, in particular, have been argued to be able to count up to four items and solve complex numerical tasks. Here we present an exceedingly simple neural circuit that, when provided with the actual visual input that the bee is receiving while carrying out the task, can make reliable estimates on the number of items in the display. Thus we suggest that the elegance of numerical problem solving in bees might not lie in the formation of numerical concepts (such as “more,” “less,” or “zero”), but in the use of specific flight movements to scan targets, which streamlines the visual input and so renders the task of counting computationally inexpensive. Careful examination of the actual inspection strategies used by animals might reveal that animals often employ active scanning behaviors as shortcuts to simplify complex visual pattern discrimination tasks. Small-brained animals such as bees can solve counting tasks Exceedingly small neural circuits can mediate numerosity estimations The method requires a sequential inspection strategy to generate the visual input Active scanning behavior is suggested to play a role in complex cognitive tasks
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Affiliation(s)
- Vera Vasas
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK.
| | - Lars Chittka
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK; Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, Institute for Advanced Study, Berlin 14193, Germany
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Butterworth B, Gallistel CR, Vallortigara G. Introduction: The origins of numerical abilities. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 373:rstb.2016.0507. [PMID: 29292355 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Brian Butterworth
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
| | - C R Gallistel
- Center for Cog Science, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Giorgio Vallortigara
- Centre for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto (Trento), 38068, Italy
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20
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Agrillo C, Bisazza A. Understanding the origin of number sense: a review of fish studies. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 373:20160511. [PMID: 29292358 PMCID: PMC5784038 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/11/2017] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to use quantitative information is thought to be adaptive in a wide range of ecological contexts. For nearly a century, the numerical abilities of mammals and birds have been extensively studied using a variety of approaches. However, in the last two decades, there has been increasing interest in investigating the numerical abilities of teleosts (i.e. a large group of ray-finned fish), mainly due to the practical advantages of using fish species as models in laboratory research. Here, we review the current state of the art in this field. In the first part, we highlight some potential ecological functions of numerical abilities in fish and summarize the existing literature that demonstrates numerical abilities in different fish species. In many cases, surprising similarities have been reported among the numerical performance of mammals, birds and fish, raising the question as to whether vertebrates' numerical systems have been inherited from a common ancestor. In the second part, we will focus on what we still need to investigate, specifically the research fields in which the use of fish would be particularly beneficial, such as the genetic bases of numerical abilities, the development of these abilities and the evolutionary foundation of vertebrate number sense.This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'The origins of numerical abilities'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Agrillo
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia 8, Padova 35131, Italy
| | - Angelo Bisazza
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia 8, Padova 35131, Italy
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