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Cortical areas involved in Arabic number reading
F-E Roux1, V Lubrano, V Lauwers-Cances
1Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Unité 825, IFR 96, Université Paul-Sabatier, Toulouse, France. franck.roux@club-internet.fr
Neurology
|January 16, 2008
Summary
Brain mapping reveals specialized areas for reading Arabic numbers, distinct from word processing. These number-specific regions, identified via direct cortical stimulation, suggest education shapes dedicated neural pathways.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neurolinguistics
Background:
- Hypotheses suggest separate brain pathways for processing words and numbers, supported by observations of patients with brain damage affecting these categories differently.
- Understanding the neural basis of number processing is crucial for comprehending cognitive functions and potential deficits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify specific cortical areas engaged in the process of reading Arabic numerals in patients with diverse brain lesions.
- To investigate the functional segregation between number and word processing in the brain.
Main Methods:
- Direct cortical electrostimulation was prospectively employed in 60 brain mapping procedures.
- Tasks included object naming, alphabetic script reading (sentences and number words), and Arabic number reading.
- Cortical areas for Arabic number reading were identified by stimulation-induced interference and comparison with other language tasks.
Main Results:
- Arabic number reading relied on small, highly localized cortical areas (<1 cm²).
- Out of 259 language sites, 43 (17%) were exclusively dedicated to Arabic number reading.
- Key regions identified were Broca area (Brodmann area 45), anterior supramarginal gyrus (Brodmann area 40), and temporal-basal area (Brodmann area 37).
- Specific reading interferences included arrest, phonemic, and semantic paraphasias, with phonemic errors unique to the supramarginal gyrus.
Conclusions:
- Findings support the notion that learning symbolic systems like Arabic numerals leads to the segregation and specialization of distinct brain areas.
- Education plays a significant role in shaping the neural architecture for processing specific symbolic information.
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