1
|
Zang Z, Chi X, Luan M, Hu S, Zhou K, Liu J. Inter-individual, hemispheric and sex variability of brain activations during numerosity processing. Brain Struct Funct 2024; 229:459-475. [PMID: 38197958 PMCID: PMC10917853 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-023-02747-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Numerosity perception is a fundamental and innate cognitive function shared by both humans and many animal species. Previous research has primarily focused on exploring the spatial and functional consistency of neural activations that were associated with the processing of numerosity information. However, the inter-individual variability of brain activations of numerosity perception remains unclear. In the present study, with a large-sample functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) dataset (n = 460), we aimed to localize the functional regions related to numerosity perceptions and explore the inter-individual, hemispheric, and sex differences within these brain regions. Fifteen subject-specific activated regions, including the anterior intraparietal sulcus (aIPS), posterior intraparietal sulcus (pIPS), insula, inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), inferior temporal gyrus (ITG), premotor area (PM), middle occipital gyrus (MOG) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), were delineated in each individual and then used to create a functional probabilistic atlas to quantify individual variability in brain activations of numerosity processing. Though the activation percentages of most regions were higher than 60%, the intersections of most regions across individuals were considerably lower, falling below 50%, indicating substantial variations in brain activations related to numerosity processing among individuals. Furthermore, significant hemispheric and sex differences in activation location, extent, and magnitude were also found in these regions. Most activated regions in the right hemisphere had larger activation volumes and activation magnitudes, and were located more lateral and anterior than their counterparts in the left hemisphere. In addition, in most of these regions, males displayed stronger activations than females. Our findings demonstrate large inter-individual, hemispheric, and sex differences in brain activations related to numerosity processing, and our probabilistic atlas can serve as a robust functional and spatial reference for mapping the numerosity-related neural networks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhongyao Zang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Xiaoyue Chi
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Mengkai Luan
- Department of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, 650 Qing Yuan Huan Road, Shanghai, 200438, People's Republic of China
| | - Siyuan Hu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
| | - Ke Zhou
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
| | - Jia Liu
- Tsinghua Laboratory of Brain and Intelligence, Department of Psychology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Baulina M, Kosonogov V. "Calculating faces": can face perception paradigms enrich dyscalculia research? Front Psychol 2024; 14:1218124. [PMID: 38235284 PMCID: PMC10791763 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1218124] [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: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Developmental dyscalculia (DD) is a subtype of learning disabilities, which is characterized by lower mathematical skills despite average intelligence and average or satisfactory performance in other academic areas. It is not fully understood how such deficits emerge in the course of brain development. When considering the mechanisms of dyscalculia, two domain-specific systems are distinguished. The Approximate Number System (ANS) is related to the approximate estimation of large sets, and the Object Tracking System (OTS) is responsible for subitizing, that is, the exact quantification of small sets. In recent years, the multiple-deficit framework has become increasingly popular. On the one hand, it explains the impairment of certain general cognitive functions in children with DD, such as executive functions, attention, visual-perceptual discrimination, processing speed, and rapid scanning of visual information. On the other hand, it provides a theoretical basis for explaining the simultaneous occurrence of the different types of other comorbid conditions (such as dyslexia and ADHD) and the relationship between them. We suggest that the face recognition could be considered as another, probably impaired function in dyscalculic individuals. We highlight several brain areas involved both in numerical and facial processing: intraparietal sulcus (IPS), fusiform gyrus (FFG), and hippocampus (HC). We consider the possibility of expanding the scope of dyscalculia research by application of face perception paradigms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Baulina
- Laboratory of Counseling Psychology and Psychotherapy, Federal Scientific Center of Psychological and Multidisciplinary Research, Moscow, Russia
- International Laboratory of Social Neurobiology, HSE University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Vladimir Kosonogov
- International Laboratory of Social Neurobiology, HSE University, Moscow, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Ayyıldız N, Beyer F, Üstün S, Kale EH, Mançe Çalışır Ö, Uran P, Öner Ö, Olkun S, Anwander A, Witte AV, Villringer A, Çiçek M. Changes in the superior longitudinal fasciculus and anterior thalamic radiation in the left brain are associated with developmental dyscalculia. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1147352. [PMID: 37868699 PMCID: PMC10586317 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1147352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Developmental dyscalculia is a neurodevelopmental disorder specific to arithmetic learning even with normal intelligence and age-appropriate education. Difficulties often persist from childhood through adulthood lowering the individual's quality of life. However, the neural correlates of developmental dyscalculia are poorly understood. This study aimed to identify brain structural connectivity alterations in developmental dyscalculia. All participants were recruited from a large scale, non-referred population sample in a longitudinal design. We studied 10 children with developmental dyscalculia (11.3 ± 0.7 years) and 16 typically developing peers (11.2 ± 0.6 years) using diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. We assessed white matter microstructure with tract-based spatial statistics in regions-of-interest tracts that had previously been related to math ability in children. Then we used global probabilistic tractography for the first time to measure and compare tract length between developmental dyscalculia and typically developing groups. The high angular resolution diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and crossing-fiber probabilistic tractography allowed us to evaluate the length of the pathways compared to previous studies. The major findings of our study were reduced white matter coherence and shorter tract length of the left superior longitudinal/arcuate fasciculus and left anterior thalamic radiation in the developmental dyscalculia group. Furthermore, the lower white matter coherence and shorter pathways tended to be associated with the lower math performance. These results from the regional analyses indicate that learning, memory and language-related pathways in the left hemisphere might be related to developmental dyscalculia in children.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nazife Ayyıldız
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Interdisciplinary Neuroscience, Health Sciences Institute and Brain Research Center, Ankara University, Ankara, Türkiye
| | - Frauke Beyer
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- Subproject A1, CRC 1052 “Obesity Mechanisms”, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sertaç Üstün
- Department of Interdisciplinary Neuroscience, Health Sciences Institute and Brain Research Center, Ankara University, Ankara, Türkiye
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Ankara University, Ankara, Türkiye
- Neuroscience and Neurotechnology Center of Excellence, Ankara, Türkiye
| | - Emre H. Kale
- Department of Interdisciplinary Neuroscience, Health Sciences Institute and Brain Research Center, Ankara University, Ankara, Türkiye
| | - Öykü Mançe Çalışır
- Department of Interdisciplinary Neuroscience, Health Sciences Institute and Brain Research Center, Ankara University, Ankara, Türkiye
- Program of Counseling and Guidance, Department of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Educational Sciences, Ankara University, Ankara, Türkiye
| | - Pınar Uran
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Izmir Democracy University, Izmir, Türkiye
| | - Özgür Öner
- Department of Child and Adolescence Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Bahçeşehir University, Istanbul, Türkiye
| | - Sinan Olkun
- Department of Elementary Education, Faculty of Educational Sciences, Ankara University, Ankara, Türkiye
| | - Alfred Anwander
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - A. Veronica Witte
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Arno Villringer
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- MindBrainBody Institute, Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Charité and Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Metehan Çiçek
- Department of Interdisciplinary Neuroscience, Health Sciences Institute and Brain Research Center, Ankara University, Ankara, Türkiye
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Ankara University, Ankara, Türkiye
- Neuroscience and Neurotechnology Center of Excellence, Ankara, Türkiye
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Klein E, Knops A. The two-network framework of number processing: a step towards a better understanding of the neural origins of developmental dyscalculia. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2023; 130:253-268. [PMID: 36662281 PMCID: PMC10033479 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-022-02580-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Developmental dyscalculia is a specific learning disorder that persists over lifetime and can have an enormous impact on personal, health-related, and professional aspects of life. Despite its central importance, the origin both at the cognitive and neural level is not yet well understood. Several classification schemas of dyscalculia have been proposed, sometimes together with an associated deficit at the neural level. However, these explanations are (a) not providing an exhaustive framework that is at levels with the observed complexity of developmental dyscalculia at the behavioral level and (b) are largely mono-causal approaches focusing on gray matter deficits. We suggest that number processing is instead the result of context-dependent interaction of two anatomically largely separate, distributed but overlapping networks that function/cooperate in a closely integrated fashion. The proposed two-network framework (TNF) is the result of a series of studies in adults on the neural correlates underlying magnitude processing and arithmetic fact retrieval, which comprised neurofunctional imaging of various numerical tasks, the application of probabilistic fiber tracking to obtain well-defined connections, and the validation and modification of these results using disconnectome mapping in acute stroke patients. Emerged from data in adults, it represents the endpoint of the acquisition and use of mathematical competencies in adults. Yet, we argue that its main characteristics should already emerge earlier during development. Based on this TNF, we develop a classification schema of phenomenological subtypes and their underlying neural origin that we evaluate against existing propositions and the available empirical data.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elise Klein
- LaPsyDÉ, UMR CNRS 8240, Université Paris Cité, La Sorbonne, 46 Rue Saint-Jacques, 75005, Paris, France.
- Leibniz-Institut Fuer Wissensmedien Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.
| | - André Knops
- LaPsyDÉ, UMR CNRS 8240, Université Paris Cité, La Sorbonne, 46 Rue Saint-Jacques, 75005, Paris, France
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Üstün S, Sırmatel B, Çiçek M. Can a Common Magnitude System Theory Explain the Brain Representation of Space, Time, and Number? Noro Psikiyatr Ars 2022; 59:S24-S28. [PMID: 36578990 PMCID: PMC9767125 DOI: 10.29399/npa.28159] [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: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Space, time, and number are important parts of our experiences and they are crucial for maintaining our behaviors in daily life. Comprehending the spatial and numerical features of our environment and perceiving and constructing the temporal framework are critical for healthy cognitive functioning and also survival. Although the problem of how these three perceptual processes work was initially studied separately, the emergence of behavioral interactions between these perceptions led to the idea that they could be run by a "common system". Besides the behavioral interactions for space, time, and number perception, the lesion and neuroimaging studies investigating the neural basis of these perceptions suggest the existence of a common size perception system represented in a fronto-parietal network formed around the intraparietal sulcus. However, on the other side of the coin, there are different views proposed based on findings that contradict this common magnitude system theory. The purpose of this review is to evaluate suggested ideas together and to examine whether the representation of space, time, and number perception in the brain can be explained by a common magnitude system theory.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sertaç Üstün
- Ankara University, School of Medicine, Department of Physiology, Ankara, Turkey,Ankara University, Department of Interdisciplinary Neuroscience, Ankara, Turkey,Neuroscience and Neurotechnology Center of Excellence (NÖROM), Ankara, Turkey
| | - Burcu Sırmatel
- Ankara University, Department of Interdisciplinary Neuroscience, Ankara, Turkey,Neuroscience and Neurotechnology Center of Excellence (NÖROM), Ankara, Turkey,Ankara University, Brain Research Center, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Metehan Çiçek
- Ankara University, School of Medicine, Department of Physiology, Ankara, Turkey,Ankara University, Department of Interdisciplinary Neuroscience, Ankara, Turkey,Neuroscience and Neurotechnology Center of Excellence (NÖROM), Ankara, Turkey,Ankara University, Brain Research Center, Ankara, Turkey,Correspondence Address: Metehan Çiçek, Ankara Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Fizyoloji Anabilim Dalı, Ankara, Turkey • E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Protocol to examine the neural basis of symbolic and non-symbolic quantity processing in human brain with fMRI. STAR Protoc 2022; 3:101673. [PMID: 36103304 PMCID: PMC9483640 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2022.101673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Revised: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Number perception is among the basic cognitive abilities necessary to understand our environment. Here, we present a protocol to examine the neural underpinnings of numerosity comparison regarding symbolic and non-symbolic stimuli using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This protocol gives instructions for screening participants, followed by steps to perform an event-related fMRI experiment and data analysis with SPM12. This protocol will be informative for investigating numerical cognition in various groups including children with dyscalculia or people at different developmental stages. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Üstün et al. (2021) and Vatansever et al. (2020).
Collapse
|
7
|
Chutko L, Surushkina S, Yakovenko E. Clinical and psychophysiological manifestations of dyscalculia in children. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova 2022; 122:62-67. [DOI: 10.17116/jnevro202212209262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
|