Weak task-related modulation and stimulus representations during arithmetic problem solving in children with developmental dyscalculia

Ashkenazi, Sarit; Rosenberg‐Lee, Miriam; Tenison, Caitlin; Menon, Vinod

doi:10.1016/j.dcn.2011.09.006

Cited by 128 publications

(145 citation statements)

References 76 publications

(147 reference statements)

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“…This is in line with studies demonstrating the importance of bilateral IPS, as well as left angular gyrus, for quantity representation and calculation processes. Moreover, there is evidence that children with dyscalculia show a stronger activation in larger cortical areas than typically developing controls when performing simple addition tasks (Ashkenazi et al 2012). In addition to functional and structural differences in gray matter there is also evidence for microstructural differences in white matter.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mathematical abilities in dyslexic children: a diffusion tensor imaging study

Koerte

Willems

Muehlmann

et al. 2015

Brain Imaging and Behavior

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Dyslexia is characterized by a deficit in language processing which mainly affects word decoding and spelling skills. In addition, children with dyslexia also show problems in mathematics. However, for the latter, the underlying structural correlates have not been investigated. Sixteen children with dyslexia (mean age 9.8 years [0.39]) and 24 typically developing children (mean age 9.9 years [0.29]) group matched for age, gender, IQ, and handedness underwent 3 T MR diffusion tensor imaging as well as cognitive testing. Tract-Based Spatial Statistics were performed to correlate behavioral data with diffusion data. Children with dyslexia performed worse than controls in standardized verbal number tasks, such as arithmetic efficiency tests (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division). In contrast, the two groups did not differ in the nonverbal number line task. Arithmetic efficiency, representing the total score of the four arithmetic tasks, multiplication, and division, correlated with diffusion measures in widespread areas of the white matter, including bilateral superior and inferior longitudinal fasciculi in children with dyslexia compared to controls. Children with dyslexia demonstrated lower performance in verbal number tasks but performed similarly to controls in a nonverbal number task. Further, an association between verbal arithmetic efficiency and diffusion measures was demonstrated in widespread areas of the white matter suggesting compensatory mechanisms in children with dyslexia compared to controls. Taken together, poor fact retrieval in children with dyslexia is likely a consequence of deficits in the language system, which not only affects literacy skills but also impacts on arithmetic skills.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mathematical abilities in dyslexic children: a diffusion tensor imaging study

Koerte

Willems

Muehlmann

et al. 2015

Brain Imaging and Behavior

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“…This is important to consider because it provides a clear link between the brain circuitry underlying numerical magnitude processing and arithmetic achievement. Furthermore, there is recent evidence that DD children show reduced activation of the IPS during mental arithmetic (Ashkenazi et al 2012), suggesting that the developmental dysfunction of the IPS in DD children is associated not only with the foundational capacity of basic magnitude processing, but also with the phenotypic expression of impaired arithmetic skills.…”

Section: Neural Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dyscalculia: Characteristics, Causes, and Treatments

Price¹,

Ansari²

2013

Numeracy

102

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Developmental Dyscalculia (DD) is a learning disorder affecting the ability to acquire school-level arithmetic skills, affecting approximately 3-6% of individuals. Progress in understanding the root causes of DD and how best to treat it have been impeded by lack of widespread research and variation in characterizations of the disorder across studies. However, recent years have witnessed significant growth in the field, and a growing body of behavioral and neuroimaging evidence now points to an underlying deficit in the representation and processing of numerical magnitude information as a potential core deficit in DD. An additional product of the recent progress in understanding DD is the resurgence of a distinction between 'primary' and 'secondary' developmental dyscalculia. The first appears related to impaired development of brain mechanisms for processing numerical magnitude information, while the latter refers to mathematical deficits stemming from external factors such as poor teaching, low socio-economic status, and behavioral attention problems or domain-general cognitive deficits. Increased awareness of this distinction going forward, in combination with longitudinal empirical research, offers great potential for deepening our understanding of the disorder and developing effective educational interventions.

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“…We then contrast the role of VSWM on brain responses during arithmetic processing in both groups of children, allowing us to examine fundamental questions about the specific role of VSWM in normal function while at the same time investigating how WM deficits impact arithmetic problem solving deficits in children with MD. We build upon a previous study in which we examined deficits in brain activation and multivariate representations underlying arithmetic problem solving in 2nd and 3rd graders (ages 7–9) with MD who were matched on age, sex, IQ and reading ability to TD controls (Ashkenazi, Rosenberg-Lee, Tenison, & Menon, 2012). We reported earlier that TD children showed strong modulation of univariate and multivariate brain response in parietal and prefrontal cortex with increasing arithmetic complexity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Visuo–spatial working memory is an important source of domain-general vulnerability in the development of arithmetic cognition

et al. 2013

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The study of developmental disorders can provide a unique window into the role of domain-general cognitive abilities and neural systems in typical and atypical development. Mathematical disabilities (MD) are characterized by marked difficulty in mathematical cognition in the presence of preserved intelligence and verbal ability. Although studies of MD have most often focused on the role of core deficits in numerical processing, domain-general cognitive abilities, in particular working memory (WM), have also been implicated. Here we identify specific WM components that are impaired in children with MD and then examine their role in arithmetic problem solving. Compared to typically developing (TD) children, the MD group demonstrated lower arithmetic performance and lower visuo-spatial working memory (VSWM) scores with preserved abilities on the phonological and central executive components of WM. Whole brain analysis revealed that, during arithmetic problem solving, left posterior parietal cortex, bilateral dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, cingulate gyrus and precuneus, and fusiform gyrus responses were positively correlated with VSWM ability in TD children, but not in the MD group. Additional analyses using a priori posterior parietal cortex regions previously implicated in WM tasks, demonstrated a convergent pattern of results during arithmetic problem solving. These results suggest that MD is characterized by a common locus of arithmetic and VSWM deficits at both the cognitive and functional neuroanatomical levels. Unlike TD children, children with MD do not use VSWM resources appropriately during arithmetic problem solving. This work advances our understanding of VSWM as an important domain-general cognitive process in both typical and atypical mathematical skill development.

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Weak task-related modulation and stimulus representations during arithmetic problem solving in children with developmental dyscalculia

Cited by 128 publications

References 76 publications

Mathematical abilities in dyslexic children: a diffusion tensor imaging study

Mathematical abilities in dyslexic children: a diffusion tensor imaging study

Dyscalculia: Characteristics, Causes, and Treatments

Visuo–spatial working memory is an important source of domain-general vulnerability in the development of arithmetic cognition

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