A review on functional and structural brain connectivity in numerical cognition.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Neuroimaging

Background:

• Numerical cognition research has advanced with neuroimaging techniques allowing in-vivo brain evaluation.
• Understanding the brain's complex anatomo-functional system for numerical cognition is a recent development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize findings from studies investigating brain connectivity in numerical cognition.
• To identify consistent patterns in functional, effective, and structural connectivity related to number processing.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review and meta-analysis of 27 studies on brain connectivity and numerical cognition.
• Analysis of both functional/effective and structural connectivity data.
• Examination of neuroimaging data including fMRI and diffusion tensor imaging.

Main Results:

• Consistent evidence supports a fronto-parietal network for numerical cognition, involving parietal and frontal cortex sites.
• Structural connectivity highlights fronto-parietal association fibers (superior longitudinal fasciculus, external capsule) and commissural fibers connecting intraparietal sulci.
• Projection fibers (superior corona radiata) link cortex with basal ganglia and thalamus; the hippocampus plays a specific role in functional connectivity.

Conclusions:

• Numerical cognition relies on a distributed fronto-parietal network with specific white matter pathways.
• Findings refine the triple-code model by detailing the collaborative mechanisms of gray matter areas in number processing.
• Integration of structural and functional connectivity data provides a comprehensive view of the neural basis of numerical cognition.