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'How many' and 'how much' dissociate in the parietal lobe
Francesca Lecce1, Vincent Walsh2, Daniele Didino3
1UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, London, UK; Department of Neuropsychology, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK.
This study reveals distinct roles for the parietal lobe in quantity processing. Left intraparietal sulcus stimulation impaired "how many" (numerosity) perception, while right stimulation affected integrating "how many" and "how much" (continuous quantity) information.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neurobiology
- Psychology
Background:
- Quantity processing is fundamental to cognition.
- The parietal lobe is implicated in numerical cognition.
- Distinguishing between 'how many' (numerosity) and 'how much' (continuous quantity) is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the dissociation of numerosity and continuous quantity processing in the parietal lobe.
- To determine the specific roles of the left and right intraparietal sulcus (IPS) in these processes.
Main Methods:
- Continuous theta burst transcranial magnetic stimulation (TBS) applied to the left/right IPS or Vertex.
- Numerosity discrimination task with analysis of accuracy (Weber Fraction, wf).
- Distinction between congruent and incongruent trials based on quantity features.
Main Results:
- Left IPS-TBS weakened numerosity processing (increased wf) in incongruent trials.
- Right IPS-TBS affected processing in congruent trials (increased wf).
- Continuous quantity processing remained unaffected by left IPS-TBS.
Conclusions:
- The left parietal lobe is critical for numerosity discrimination ('how many').
- The right parietal lobe is crucial for integrating numerosity and continuous quantity features.
- Evidence supports a functional dissociation within the parietal lobe for quantity processing.
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