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Seghier ML. Multiple functions of the angular gyrus at high temporal resolution. Brain Struct Funct 2023; 228:7-46. [PMID: 35674917 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-022-02512-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Here, the functions of the angular gyrus (AG) are evaluated in the light of current evidence from transcranial magnetic/electric stimulation (TMS/TES) and EEG/MEG studies. 65 TMS/TES and 52 EEG/MEG studies were examined in this review. TMS/TES literature points to a causal role in semantic processing, word and number processing, attention and visual search, self-guided movement, memory, and self-processing. EEG/MEG studies reported AG effects at latencies varying between 32 and 800 ms in a wide range of domains, with a high probability to detect an effect at 300-350 ms post-stimulus onset. A three-phase unifying model revolving around the process of sensemaking is then suggested: (1) early AG involvement in defining the current context, within the first 200 ms, with a bias toward the right hemisphere; (2) attention re-orientation and retrieval of relevant information within 200-500 ms; and (3) cross-modal integration at late latencies with a bias toward the left hemisphere. This sensemaking process can favour accuracy (e.g. for word and number processing) or plausibility (e.g. for comprehension and social cognition). Such functions of the AG depend on the status of other connected regions. The much-debated semantic role is also discussed as follows: (1) there is a strong TMS/TES evidence for a causal semantic role, (2) current EEG/MEG evidence is however weak, but (3) the existing arguments against a semantic role for the AG are not strong. Some outstanding questions for future research are proposed. This review recognizes that cracking the role(s) of the AG in cognition is possible only when its exact contributions within the default mode network are teased apart.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed L Seghier
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE. .,Healthcare Engineering Innovation Center (HEIC), Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
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2
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Gómez-Velázquez FR, González-Garrido AA, Ruiz-Stovel VD, Villuendas-González ER, Martínez-Ramos A, Altamirano-Ríos M. Event-related brain potentials study of arithmetic fact retrieval in children with different math achievement levels. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/20445911.2022.2090571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Alicia Martínez-Ramos
- Departamento de Neurociencias. CUCS, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Mexico
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3
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Arcara G, Pezzetta R, Benavides-Varela S, Rizzi G, Formica S, Turco C, Piccione F, Semenza C. Magnetoencephalography reveals differences in brain activations for fast and slow responses to simple multiplications. Sci Rep 2021; 11:20296. [PMID: 34645843 PMCID: PMC8514455 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-97927-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite decades of studies, it is still an open question on how and where simple multiplications are solved by the brain. This fragmented picture is mostly related to the different tasks employed. While in neuropsychological studies patients are asked to perform and report simple oral calculations, neuroimaging and neurophysiological studies often use verification tasks, in which the result is shown, and the participant must verify the correctness. This MEG study aims to unify the sources of evidence, investigating how brain activation unfolds in time using a single-digit multiplication production task. We compared the participants' brain activity-focusing on the parietal lobes-based on response efficiency, dividing their responses in fast and slow. Results showed higher activation for fast, as compared to slow, responses in the left angular gyrus starting after the first operand, and in the right supramarginal gyrus only after the second operand. A whole-brain analysis showed that fast responses had higher activation in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. We show a timing difference of both hemispheres during simple multiplications. Results suggest that while the left parietal lobe may allow an initial retrieval of several possible solutions, the right one may be engaged later, helping to identify the solution based on magnitude checking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgio Arcara
- grid.492797.6IRCCS San Camillo Hospital, Via Alberoni 70, Lido, 30126 Venice, Italy
| | - Rachele Pezzetta
- grid.492797.6IRCCS San Camillo Hospital, Via Alberoni 70, Lido, 30126 Venice, Italy
| | - S. Benavides-Varela
- grid.5608.b0000 0004 1757 3470Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padova, Padua, Italy ,grid.5608.b0000 0004 1757 3470Department of Neuroscience (Padova Neuroscience Centre), University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - G. Rizzi
- grid.5608.b0000 0004 1757 3470Department of Neuroscience (Padova Neuroscience Centre), University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - S. Formica
- grid.5342.00000 0001 2069 7798Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - C. Turco
- grid.492797.6IRCCS San Camillo Hospital, Via Alberoni 70, Lido, 30126 Venice, Italy
| | - F. Piccione
- grid.5608.b0000 0004 1757 3470Riabilitazione, Azienda Ospedale - Università di Padova, Regione Veneto, Italy
| | - C. Semenza
- grid.5608.b0000 0004 1757 3470Department of Neuroscience (Padova Neuroscience Centre), University of Padova, Padua, Italy
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4
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Ishii A, Matsuo T, Yoshikawa T. Association between the total amount of electromagnetic cortical neuronal activity and a decline in motivation. Physiol Rep 2021; 9:e15028. [PMID: 34558220 PMCID: PMC8461028 DOI: 10.14814/phy2.15028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
In situations involving fatigue, the increase in fatigue levels and the apparent decrease in motivation levels are thought to suppress mental and physical performance to avoid disrupting homeostasis and aid recovery; however, the ultimate source of information on which the brain depends to perceive fatigue and/or a loss of motivation for protection remains unknown. In this study, we found that, as assessed by magnetoencephalography, electromagnetic cortical neuronal activity while performing cognitive tasks was associated with a decrease in motivation caused by the tasks in healthy participants, suggesting the possibility that the brain utilizes information that reflects the invested amount of neural activity to suppress performance. To our knowledge, this is the first report to provide clues for the missing link between neural investments and the resulting activation of the biological alarms that suppress performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akira Ishii
- Department of Sports MedicineOsaka City University Graduate School of MedicineOsakaJapan
| | - Takashi Matsuo
- Department of Sports MedicineOsaka City University Graduate School of MedicineOsakaJapan
| | - Takahiro Yoshikawa
- Department of Sports MedicineOsaka City University Graduate School of MedicineOsakaJapan
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5
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Cárdenas SY, Silva-Pereyra J, Prieto-Corona B, Castro-Chavira SA, Fernández T. Arithmetic processing in children with dyscalculia: an event-related potential study. PeerJ 2021; 9:e10489. [PMID: 33569247 PMCID: PMC7847199 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10489] [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: 09/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Dyscalculia is a specific learning disorder affecting the ability to learn certain math processes, such as arithmetic data recovery. The group of children with dyscalculia is very heterogeneous, in part due to variability in their working memory (WM) deficits. To assess the brain response to arithmetic data recovery, we applied an arithmetic verification task during an event-related potential (ERP) recording. Two effects have been reported: the N400 effect (higher negative amplitude for incongruent than for congruent condition), associated with arithmetic incongruency and caused by the arithmetic priming effect, and the LPC effect (higher positive amplitude for the incongruent compared to the congruent condition), associated with a reevaluation process and modulated by the plausibility of the presented condition. This study aimed to (a) compare arithmetic processing between children with dyscalculia and children with good academic performance (GAP) using ERPs during an addition verification task and (b) explore, among children with dyscalculia, the relationship between WM and ERP effects. Materials and Methods EEGs of 22 children with dyscalculia (DYS group) and 22 children with GAP (GAP group) were recorded during the performance of an addition verification task. ERPs synchronized with the probe stimulus were computed separately for the congruent and incongruent probes, and included only epochs with correct answers. Mixed 2-way ANOVAs for response times and correct answers were conducted. Comparisons between groups and correlation analyses using ERP amplitude data were carried out through multivariate nonparametric permutation tests. Results The GAP group obtained more correct answers than the DYS group. An arithmetic N400 effect was observed in the GAP group but not in the DYS group. Both groups displayed an LPC effect. The larger the LPC amplitude was, the higher the WM index. Two subgroups were found within the DYS group: one with an average WM index and the other with a lower than average WM index. These subgroups displayed different ERPs patterns. Discussion The results indicated that the group of children with dyscalculia was very heterogeneous and therefore failed to show a robust LPC effect. Some of these children had WM deficits. When WM deficits were considered together with dyscalculia, an atypical ERP pattern that reflected their processing difficulties emerged. Their lack of the arithmetic N400 effect suggested that the processing in this step was not useful enough to produce an answer; thus, it was necessary to reevaluate the arithmetic-calculation process (LPC) in order to deliver a correct answer. Conclusion Given that dyscalculia is a very heterogeneous deficit, studies examining dyscalculia should consider exploring deficits in WM because the whole group of children with dyscalculia seems to contain at least two subpopulations that differ in their calculation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Y Cárdenas
- Departamento de Neurobiología Conductual y Cognitiva, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Querétaro, México
| | - Juan Silva-Pereyra
- Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Tlalnepantla, Estado de México, México
| | - Belén Prieto-Corona
- Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Tlalnepantla, Estado de México, México
| | - Susana A Castro-Chavira
- Departamento de Neurobiología Conductual y Cognitiva, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Querétaro, México
| | - Thalía Fernández
- Departamento de Neurobiología Conductual y Cognitiva, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Querétaro, México
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6
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Grenier AE, Dickson DS, Sparks CS, Wicha NYY. Meaning to multiply: Electrophysiological evidence that children and adults treat multiplication facts differently. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2020; 46:100873. [PMID: 33129033 PMCID: PMC7599435 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2019] [Revised: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiplication tables are typically memorized verbally, with fluent retrieval leading to better performance in advanced math. Arithmetic development is characterized by strategy shifts from procedural operations to direct fact retrieval, which would not necessitate access to the facts' conceptual meaning. This study tested this hypothesis using a combination of event related brain potentials (ERP) and behavioral measures with 3rd-5th grade children and young adults. Participants verified the solutions to simple multiplication problems (2 × 3 = 6 or = 7) and the semantic fit of word-picture pairs, separately. Children showed an N400 effect to multiplication solutions with larger (more negative) amplitude for incorrect than correct solutions, reflecting meaning-level processing. A similar ERP response was observed in the word-picture verification task, with larger negative amplitude for word-picture pairs that were semantically mismatched compared to matched. In contrast, adults showed a P300 response for correct solutions, suggesting that they treated these solutions as potential targets in over-rehearsed mathematical expressions. This P300 response was specific to math fact processing, as the word-picture verification task elicited a classic N400 in adults. These ERP findings reveal an overlooked developmental transition that occurs after fifth grade, and speak to theories of arithmetic that have been based primarily on adult data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amandine E Grenier
- Department of Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA.
| | - Danielle S Dickson
- Department of Psychology and Center for Language Science, The Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Corey S Sparks
- Department of Demography, The University of Texas at San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Nicole Y Y Wicha
- Department of Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA; UTSA Neurosciences Institute, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA; Research Imaging Institute, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, USA
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7
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P300 amplitude and latency reflect arithmetic skill: An ERP study of the problem size effect. Biol Psychol 2019; 148:107745. [PMID: 31470071 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2019.107745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2019] [Revised: 06/29/2019] [Accepted: 08/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The effect of arithmetic problem size is widespread in behavior (e.g., slower responses to 8 × 7 than 2 × 2). Here, we measure event related potentials (ERPs) to determine how the problem size effect unfolds under different conditions. Adults judged the correctness of simple multiplication problems (2 × 4 = 8 versus 9) that varied in size and operand number format (written digits versus spoken number words). The P300, an ERP component associated with stimulus categorization, was measured from solution onset. P300 amplitude was greatest for small and correct solutions, as expected for easily categorized stimuli. Large incorrect solutions elicited a disproportionately reduced P300, an interaction not measurable in verification behavior. Additionally, ERP measures revealed effects of operand format preceding, but not following, solution onset. The significance of these findings for theories of mathematical cognition are addressed.
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8
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Heidekum AE, Grabner RH, De Smedt B, De Visscher A, Vogel SE. Interference during the retrieval of arithmetic and lexico-semantic knowledge modulates similar brain regions: Evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Cortex 2019; 120:375-393. [PMID: 31408755 PMCID: PMC6853793 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2019.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2019] [Revised: 04/14/2019] [Accepted: 06/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Single-digit multiplications are mainly solved by memory retrieval. However, these problems are also prone to errors due to systematic interference (i.e., co-activation of interconnected but incorrect solutions). Semantic control processes are crucial to overcome this type of interference and to retrieve the correct information. Previous research suggests the importance of several brain regions such as the left inferior frontal cortex and the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) for semantic control. But, this evidence is mainly based on tasks measuring interference during the processing of lexico-semantic information (e.g., pictures or words). Here, we investigated whether semantic control during arithmetic problem solving (i.e., multiplication fact retrieval) draws upon similar or different brain mechanisms as in other semantic domains (i.e., lexico-semantic). The brain activity of 46 students was measured with fMRI while participants performed an operand-related-lure (OR) and a picture-word (PW) task. In the OR task participants had to verify the correctness of a given solution to a single-digit multiplication. Similarly, in the PW task, participants had to judge whether a presented word matches the concept displayed in a picture or not. Analyses showed that resolving interference in these two tasks modulates the activation of a widespread fronto-parietal network (e.g., left/right IFG, left insula lobe, left IPS). Importantly, conjunction analysis revealed a neural overlap in the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) pars triangularis and left IPS. Additional Bayesian analyses showed that regions that are thought to store lexico-semantic information (e.g., left middle temporal gyrus) did not show evidence for an arithmetic interference effect. Overall, our findings not only indicate that semantic control plays an important role in arithmetic problem solving but also that it is supported by common brain regions across semantic domains. Additionally, by conducting Bayesian analysis we confirmed the hypothesis that the semantic control network contributes differently to semantic tasks of various domains.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Roland H Grabner
- Educational Neuroscience, Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Austria
| | - Bert De Smedt
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, University of Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Stephan E Vogel
- Educational Neuroscience, Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Austria.
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9
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Dickson DS, Cerda VR, Beavers RN, Ruiz A, Castañeda R, Wicha NYY. When 2 × 4 is meaningful: the N400 and P300 reveal operand format effects in multiplication verification. Psychophysiology 2018; 55:e13212. [PMID: 30132910 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2017] [Revised: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 05/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Arithmetic problems share many surface-level features with typical sentences. They assert information about the world, and readers can evaluate this information for sensibility by consulting their memories as the statement unfolds. When people encounter the solution to the problem 3 × 4, the brain elicits a robust ERP effect as a function of answer expectancy (12 being the expected completion; 15 being unexpected). Initially, this was labeled an N400 effect, implying that semantic memory had been accessed. Subsequent work suggested instead that the effect was driven by a target P300 to the correct solutions. The current study manipulates operand format to differentially promote access to language-based semantic representations of arithmetic. Operands were presented either as spoken number words or as sequential Arabic numerals. The critical solution was always an Arabic numeral. In Experiment 1, the correctness of solutions preceded by spoken operands modulated N400 amplitude, whereas solutions preceded by Arabic numerals elicited a P300 for correct problems. In Experiment 2, using only spoken operands, the delay between the second operand and the Arabic numeral solution was manipulated to determine if additional processing time would result in a P300. With a longer delay, an earlier N400 and no distinct P300 were observed. In brief, highly familiar digit operands promoted target detection, whereas spoken numbers promoted semantic level processing-even when solution format itself was held constant. This provides evidence that the brain can process arithmetic fact information at different levels of representational meaningfulness as a function of symbolic format.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle S Dickson
- Department of Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Vanessa R Cerda
- Department of Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Rosemary N Beavers
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Andres Ruiz
- Department of Pediatrics, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas, USA
| | - Ricardo Castañeda
- Department of Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Nicole Y Y Wicha
- Department of Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA.,UTSA Neurosciences Institute, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA.,Research Imaging Institute, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA
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10
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Simple arithmetic: electrophysiological evidence of coactivation and selection of arithmetic facts. Exp Brain Res 2016; 234:3305-3319. [DOI: 10.1007/s00221-016-4728-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2016] [Accepted: 07/12/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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11
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Guthormsen AM, Fisher KJ, Bassok M, Osterhout L, DeWolf M, Holyoak KJ. Conceptual Integration of Arithmetic Operations With Real-World Knowledge: Evidence From Event-Related Potentials. Cogn Sci 2015; 40:723-57. [PMID: 25864403 DOI: 10.1111/cogs.12238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2014] [Revised: 01/05/2015] [Accepted: 01/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Research on language processing has shown that the disruption of conceptual integration gives rise to specific patterns of event-related brain potentials (ERPs)-N400 and P600 effects. Here, we report similar ERP effects when adults performed cross-domain conceptual integration of analogous semantic and mathematical relations. In a problem-solving task, when participants generated labeled answers to semantically aligned and misaligned arithmetic problems (e.g., 6 roses + 2 tulips = ? vs. 6 roses + 2 vases = ?), the second object label in misaligned problems yielded an N400 effect for addition (but not division) problems. In a verification task, when participants judged arithmetically correct but semantically misaligned problem sentences to be "unacceptable," the second object label in misaligned sentences elicited a P600 effect. Thus, depending on task constraints, misaligned problems can show either of two ERP signatures of conceptual disruption. These results show that well-educated adults can integrate mathematical and semantic relations on the rapid timescale of within-domain ERP effects by a process akin to analogical mapping.
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12
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Martinez-Lincoln A, Cortinas C, Wicha NYY. Arithmetic memory networks established in childhood are changed by experience in adulthood. Neurosci Lett 2015; 584:325-30. [PMID: 25445361 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2014.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2014] [Revised: 11/06/2014] [Accepted: 11/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Adult bilinguals show stronger access to multiplication tables when using the language in which they learned arithmetic during childhood (LA+) than the other language (LA-), implying language-specific encoding of math facts. However, most bilinguals use LA+ throughout their life, confounding the impact of encoding and use. We tested if using arithmetic facts in LA- could reduce this LA- disadvantage. We measured event related brain potentials while bilingual teachers judged the correctness of multiplication problems in each of their languages. Critically, each teacher taught arithmetic in either LA+ or LA-. Earlier N400 peak latency was observed in both groups for the teaching than non-teaching language, showing more efficient access to these facts with use. LA+ teachers maintained an LA+ advantage, while LA- teachers showed equivalent N400 congruency effects (for incorrect versus correct solutions) in both languages. LA- teachers also showed a late positive component that may reflect conflict monitoring between their LA+ and a strong LA-. Thus, the LA- disadvantage for exact arithmetic established in early bilingual education can be mitigated by later use of LA-.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christina Cortinas
- Department of Biology and Neurosciences Institute, University of Texas at San Antonio, USA
| | - Nicole Y Y Wicha
- Department of Biology and Neurosciences Institute, University of Texas at San Antonio, USA; Research Imaging Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, USA.
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13
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Van Beek L, Ghesquièr P, De Smedt B, Lagae L. The arithmetic problem size effect in children: an event-related potential study. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:756. [PMID: 25309405 PMCID: PMC4174746 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2014] [Accepted: 09/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
This study used for the first time event-related potentials (ERPs) to examine the well-known arithmetic problem size effect in children. The electrophysiological correlates of this problem size effect have been well documented in adults, but such information in children is lacking. In the present study, 22 typically developing 12-year-olds were asked to solve single-digit addition problems of small (sum ≤ 10) and large problem size (sum > 10) and to speak the solution into a voice key while ERPs were recorded. Children displayed similar early and late components compared to previous adult studies on the problem size effect. There was no effect of problem size on the early components P1, N1, and P2. The peak amplitude of the N2 component showed more negative potentials on left and right anterior electrodes for large additions compared to small additions, which might reflect differences in attentional and working memory resources between large and small problems. The mean amplitude of the late positivity component which follows the N2, was significantly larger for large than for small additions at right parieto-occipital electrodes, in line with previous adult data. The ERPs of the problem size effect during arithmetic might be a useful neural marker for future studies on fact retrieval impairments in children with mathematical difficulties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leen Van Beek
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of LeuvenLeuven, Belgium
| | - Pol Ghesquièr
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of LeuvenLeuven, Belgium
| | - Bert De Smedt
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of LeuvenLeuven, Belgium
| | - Lieven Lagae
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of LeuvenLeuven, Belgium
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14
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Moore RD, Drollette ES, Scudder MR, Bharij A, Hillman CH. The influence of cardiorespiratory fitness on strategic, behavioral, and electrophysiological indices of arithmetic cognition in preadolescent children. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:258. [PMID: 24829556 PMCID: PMC4017138 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2013] [Accepted: 04/07/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The current study investigated the influence of cardiorespiratory fitness on arithmetic cognition in forty 9-10 year old children. Measures included a standardized mathematics achievement test to assess conceptual and computational knowledge, self-reported strategy selection, and an experimental arithmetic verification task (including small and large addition problems), which afforded the measurement of event-related brain potentials (ERPs). No differences in math achievement were observed as a function of fitness level, but all children performed better on math concepts relative to math computation. Higher fit children reported using retrieval more often to solve large arithmetic problems, relative to lower fit children. During the arithmetic verification task, higher fit children exhibited superior performance for large problems, as evidenced by greater d' scores, while all children exhibited decreased accuracy and longer reaction time for large relative to small problems, and incorrect relative to correct solutions. On the electrophysiological level, modulations of early (P1, N170) and late ERP components (P3, N400) were observed as a function of problem size and solution correctness. Higher fit children exhibited selective modulations for N170, P3, and N400 amplitude relative to lower fit children, suggesting that fitness influences symbolic encoding, attentional resource allocation and semantic processing during arithmetic tasks. The current study contributes to the fitness-cognition literature by demonstrating that the benefits of cardiorespiratory fitness extend to arithmetic cognition, which has important implications for the educational environment and the context of learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Davis Moore
- Neurocognitive Kinesiology Laboratory, Kinesiology, University of Illinois Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Eric S Drollette
- Neurocognitive Kinesiology Laboratory, Kinesiology, University of Illinois Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Mark R Scudder
- Neurocognitive Kinesiology Laboratory, Kinesiology, University of Illinois Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Aashiv Bharij
- Neurocognitive Kinesiology Laboratory, Kinesiology, University of Illinois Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Charles H Hillman
- Neurocognitive Kinesiology Laboratory, Kinesiology, University of Illinois Urbana, IL, USA
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15
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Chen Y, Campbell JID, Liu C. The N3 is sensitive to odd-even congruency information in arithmetic fact retrieval. Exp Brain Res 2013; 225:603-11. [PMID: 23354663 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-013-3404-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2012] [Accepted: 12/28/2012] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
This study investigated the behavioral and electrophysiological effects elicited by adults' simple addition verification when false answers agree or disagree with the odd-even status of the correct sum (parity congruency vs. parity incongruency), while they are near or far from correct (small vs. large splits). Event-related brain potentials were recorded from 18 students using a first-answer-then-problem paradigm. The results showed that odd-even congruency had a significant effect on the N3 latency with a small, but not a large split. Specifically, odd-even congruent answers with a small split elicited an N3 with a longer latency. Analyses of RT similarly indicated a bigger parity-congruency effect with small-split answers compared with large-split answers. This pattern parallels the corresponding effects on N3 and confirms that the N3 is sensitive to odd-even information in arithmetic fact retrieval and that there are clear links between the event-related brain potential pattern and behavioral effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yalin Chen
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, 122 Ninghai Road, Nanjing, 210097, China.
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Grabner RH, De Smedt B. Oscillatory EEG correlates of arithmetic strategies: a training study. Front Psychol 2012; 3:428. [PMID: 23162495 PMCID: PMC3498901 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2012] [Accepted: 10/01/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
There has been a long tradition of research on mathematics education showing that children and adults use different strategies to solve arithmetic problems. Neurophysiological studies have recently begun to investigate the brain correlates of these strategies. The existing body of data, however, reflect static end points of the learning process and do not provide information on how brain activity changes in response to training or intervention. In this study, we explicitly address this issue by training participants in using fact retrieval strategies. We also investigate whether brain activity related to arithmetic fact learning is domain-specific or whether this generalizes to other learning materials, such as the solution of figural-spatial problems. Twenty adult students were trained on sets of two-digit multiplication problems and figural-spatial problems. After the training, they were presented with the trained and untrained problems while their brain activity was recorded by means of electroencephalography (EEG). In both problem types, the training resulted in accuracies over 90% and significant decreases in solution times. Analyses of the oscillatory EEG data also revealed training effects across both problem types. Specifically, we observed training-related activity increases in the theta band (3-6 Hz) and decreases in the lower alpha band (8-10 Hz), especially over parietooccipital and parietal brain regions. These results provide the first evidence that a short-term fact retrieval training results in significant changes in oscillatory EEG activity. These findings further corroborate the role of the theta band in the retrieval of semantic information from memory and suggest that theta activity is sensitive to fact retrieval not only in mental arithmetic but also in other domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roland H. Grabner
- Institute for Behavioral Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of TechnologyZurich, Switzerland
| | - Bert De Smedt
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of LeuvenLeuven, Belgium
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Eye movements and brain electric potentials during reading. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2011; 76:145-58. [PMID: 21915693 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-011-0376-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2010] [Accepted: 08/17/2011] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
The development of theories and computational models of reading requires an understanding of processing constraints, in particular of timelines related to word recognition and oculomotor control. Timelines of word recognition are usually determined with event-related potentials (ERPs) recorded under conditions of serial visual presentation (SVP) of words; timelines of oculomotor control are derived from parameters of eye movements (EMs) during natural reading. We describe two strategies to integrate these approaches. One is to collect ERPs and EMs in separate SVP and natural reading experiments for the same experimental material (but different subjects). The other strategy is to co-register EMs and ERPs during natural reading from the same subjects. Both strategies yield data that allow us to determine how lexical properties influence ERPs (e.g., the N400 component) and EMs (e.g., fixation durations) across neighboring words. We review our recent research on the effects of frequency and predictability of words on both EM and ERP measures with reference to current models of eye-movement control during reading. Results are in support of the proposition that lexical access is distributed across several fixations and across brain-electric potentials measured on neighboring words.
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Arithmetic mismatch negativity and numerical magnitude processing in number matching. BMC Neurosci 2011; 12:83. [PMID: 21834950 PMCID: PMC3175198 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2202-12-83] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2011] [Accepted: 08/11/2011] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background This study examined the relationship of the arithmetic mismatch negativity (AMN) and the semantic evaluation of numerical magnitude. The first question was whether the AMN was sensitive to the incongruity in numerical information per se, or rather, to the violation of strategic expectations. The second question was whether the numerical distance effect could appear independently of the AMN. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while participants decided whether two digits were matching or non-matching in terms of physical similarity. Results The AMN was enhanced in matching trials presented infrequently relative to non-matching trials presented frequently. The numerical distance effect was found over posterior sites during a 92 ms long interval (236-328 ms) but appeared independently of the AMN. Conclusions It was not the incongruity in numerical information per se, but rather, the violation of strategic expectations that elicited the AMN. The numerical distance effect might only temporally coincide with the AMN and did not form an inherent part of it.
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Domahs F, Domahs U, Schlesewsky M, Ratinckx E, Verguts T, Willmes K, Nuerk HC. Neighborhood consistency in mental arithmetic: Behavioral and ERP evidence. BEHAVIORAL AND BRAIN FUNCTIONS : BBF 2007; 3:66. [PMID: 18163911 PMCID: PMC2265290 DOI: 10.1186/1744-9081-3-66] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2007] [Accepted: 12/28/2007] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent cognitive and computational models (e.g. the Interacting Neighbors Model) state that in simple multiplication decade and unit digits of the candidate answers (including the correct result) are represented separately. Thus, these models challenge holistic views of number representation as well as traditional accounts of the classical problem size effect in simple arithmetic (i.e. the finding that large problems are answered slower and less accurate than small problems). Empirical data supporting this view are still scarce. METHODS Data of 24 participants who performed a multiplication verification task with Arabic digits (e.g. 8 x 4 = 36 - true or false?) are reported. Behavioral (i.e. RT and errors) and EEG (i.e. ERP) measures were recorded in parallel. RESULTS We provide evidence for neighborhood-consistency effects in the verification of simple multiplication problems (e.g. 8 x 4). Behaviorally, we find that decade-consistent lures, which share their decade digit with the correct result (e.g. 36), are harder to reject than matched inconsistent lures, which differ in both digits from the correct result (e.g. 28). This neighborhood consistency effect in product verification is similar to recent observations in the production of multiplication results. With respect to event-related potentials we find significant differences for consistent compared to inconsistent lures in the N400 (increased negativity) and Late Positive Component (reduced positivity). In this respect consistency effects in our paradigm resemble lexico-semantic effects earlier found in simple arithmetic and in orthographic input processing. CONCLUSION Our data suggest that neighborhood consistency effects in simple multiplication stem at least partly from central (lexico-semantic') stages of processing. These results are compatible with current models on the representation of simple multiplication facts - in particular with the Interacting Neighbors Model - and with the notion of decomposed representations of two-digit numbers in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Domahs
- Interdisziplinäres Zentrum für Klinische Forschung BIOMAT., Universitätsklinikum der RWTH Aachen, Germany
- Lehr- und Forschungsgebiet Neuropsychologie, Universitätsklinikum der RWTH Aachen, Germany
| | - Ulrike Domahs
- Institut für Germanistische Sprachwissenschaft, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Schlesewsky
- Institut für Germanistische Sprachwissenschaft, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany
| | - Elie Ratinckx
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Belgium
| | - Tom Verguts
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Belgium
| | - Klaus Willmes
- Interdisziplinäres Zentrum für Klinische Forschung BIOMAT., Universitätsklinikum der RWTH Aachen, Germany
- Lehr- und Forschungsgebiet Neuropsychologie, Universitätsklinikum der RWTH Aachen, Germany
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Martín-Loeches M, Casado P, Gonzalo R, De Heras L, Fernández-Frías C. Brain potentials to mathematical syntax problems. Psychophysiology 2006; 43:579-91. [PMID: 17076814 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2006.00463.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Anterior negativities obtained during sentence processing have never been unambiguously reported in the mathematical domain. The reason for this might be that the tasks explored in the mathematical domain have been far from resembling those typically yielding language-related anterior negativities. To test this hypothesis, we explored three mathematical aspects: Order-relevant information, a parenthesis indicating the onset of an embedded calculation, and violations of the type of symbol displayed. Results yielded parieto-occipital instead of frontal negativities. Late posterior positivities were also found, largely comparable to linguistic P600 in topography, but dissociable in functional terms. Our data suggest that language-related anterior negativities may indeed reflect language-specific resources of the human brain and support recent claims that language and mathematical domains are more independent than previously thought.
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