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Updated: May 12, 2026
Micro-CT Imaging and Morphometric Analysis of Mouse Neonatal Brains
Published on: May 19, 2023
Brain structure, number magnitude processing, and math proficiency in 6- to 7-year-old children born prematurely: a
Marc Starke1, Ursula Kiechl-Kohlendorfer, Karin Kucian
1Departments of Pediatrics II, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria.
Insights
Brain structure differences in preterm children are linked to their number skills. This study found gray and white matter variations correlate with semantic number knowledge, not general math proficiency.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Children born prematurely are at higher risk for mathematical learning disabilities.
- Understanding the neural basis of number skills in this population is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between brain structure (gray and white matter density) and number skills in 6-7-year-old children born prematurely.
- To determine if these structural differences correlate with semantic number knowledge and general math proficiency.
Main Methods:
- Voxel-based morphometry was used to analyze brain structure.
- Numerical distance effect (NDE) from a number comparison task assessed semantic number knowledge.
- A standardized calculation test measured general math proficiency.
Main Results:
- Significant positive correlations were found between gray matter density and NDE in parietal and temporal regions.
- Negative correlations between white matter density and NDE were observed in parietal and frontal regions.
- The link between brain structure and performance was specific to semantic number knowledge, not general math proficiency.
Conclusions:
- Individual differences in brain structure are associated with numerical skills in preterm children.
- The findings highlight the neural correlates of semantic number knowledge in this at-risk group.
- General math proficiency in preterm children may rely on different neural mechanisms than semantic number knowledge.
Abstract:
The aim of the present voxel-based morphometry study was to examine the link between brain structure and number skills in a group of 6-7-year-old children born prematurely, which are considered to be an at-risk population for mathematical learning disabilities. Therefore, gray and white matter density values were extracted from brain areas previously reported to be relevant for number processing in developing brain systems and, thereafter, correlated with response time results tapping semantic number knowledge [i.e. numerical distance effect (NDE) derived from a number comparison task] as well as with general math proficiency (as indexed by a standardized calculation test). Behavioral results disclosed a significant NDE, thus indicating well-established number magnitude representations for one-digit numerals in our study group. Significant positive correlations between gray matter and NDE emerged in parietal regions (including the right anterior inferior and the left superior parietal lobe) and in the right superior temporal gyrus. Moreover, white matter and NDE were negatively correlated in the right anterior inferior parietal lobe and the right inferior frontal gyrus. Overall, our results are novel insofar as they show that in 6-7-year-old children born prematurely, individual differences in gray and white matter structures are associated with numerical skills. Importantly, in our study group the observed link between brain structure and behavioral performance emerges only regarding an experimental task tapping semantic number knowledge, whereas general math proficiency does not seem to be related to individual differences in brain structure in our study group.
