Math anxiety: Brain cortical network changes in anticipation of doing mathematics

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Mathematical Cognition

Background:

• Math anxiety (MA) is known to affect performance in math-oriented tasks.
• Previous research has established a link between MA and cognitive processes related to mathematics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the differences in cerebral network topology between individuals with low math anxiety (LMA) and high math anxiety (HMA).
• To examine these differences during the anticipation phase before a mathematical task.

Main Methods:

• Utilized multichannel electroencephalography (EEG) recordings.
• Applied inverse problem solutions on a generic head model to obtain cortical signals.
• Computed cortical networks using magnitude squared coherence in separate frequency bands.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in graph theoretical parameters related to network segregation and integration were observed between HMA and LMA groups.
• These differences were evident across almost all EEG frequency bands.
• Findings suggest a substantial influence of anticipatory anxiety on brain network organization prior to mathematical performance.

Conclusions:

• Anticipatory anxiety associated with mathematics significantly alters brain network topology.
• Individuals with HMA exhibit distinct patterns of brain network organization compared to LMAs.
• The study highlights the neural underpinnings of how anxiety affects cognitive processing in mathematical contexts.