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Correlating Behavioral Responses to fMRI Signals from Human Prefrontal Cortex: Examining Cognitive Processes Using Task Analysis
Published on: June 20, 2012
Do calendrical savants use calculation to answer date questions? A functional magnetic resonance imaging study
1Psychology and Human Development, Institute of Education, University of London, 20 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AL, UK. r.cowan@ioe.ac.uk
Summary
Calendrical savants demonstrate impressive date calculation skills, not just memory. Brain imaging suggests their calendrical abilities stem from practiced mental arithmetic, particularly in the parietal region, which activates more for distant dates.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Psychology
Background:
- Calendrical savants exhibit rapid and accurate weekday determination for various dates.
- The underlying mechanism—calculation versus rote memory—remains debated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether calendrical savants utilize calculation skills.
- To differentiate between calculation and practice effects in calendrical abilities.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed to study brain activity.
- Parietal lobe activation patterns were analyzed in relation to date remoteness and mental arithmetic tasks.
Main Results:
- Increased parietal activation was observed during mental arithmetic and date-related questions.
- Parietal activity correlated positively with the remoteness of the queried date.
- fMRI data from one savant was compromised due to excessive head movement.
Conclusions:
- Calendrical savant skills likely arise from extensive practice with mental arithmetic calculations.
- The findings support the hypothesis that calculation, rather than pure memory, underpins these abilities.
- Further research is needed to understand the motivation behind these specialized skills.
