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Multimedia Battery for Assessment of Cognitive and Basic Skills in Mathematics BM-PROMA

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The value of structural brain imaging in explaining individual differences in children's arithmetic fluency.

Brecht Polspoel¹, Maaike Vandermosten², Bert De Smedt¹

¹Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, KU Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Belgium.

Cortex; a Journal Devoted to the Study of the Nervous System and Behavior

|October 19, 2021

Summary

Brain structure, including white matter integrity and cortical complexity, uniquely predicts children's arithmetic fluency. These findings suggest neuroimaging measures explain math skills beyond cognitive abilities like working memory.

Keywords:

Arithmetic Brain anatomy Inferior longitudinal fasciculus Postcentral gyrus

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Psychology
Developmental Psychology

Background:

Previous studies explored correlations between arithmetic fluency and grey/white matter in children.
Individual differences in arithmetic fluency are influenced by cognitive factors such as numerical magnitude processing, working memory, and rapid automatized naming (RAN).

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the unique contribution of brain structural measures to individual differences in arithmetic fluency.
To determine if white and grey matter correlates of arithmetic fluency remain significant after accounting for cognitive predictors.

Main Methods:

Combined brain imaging data from two prior studies.
Utilized hierarchical multiple regression analysis with measures of white matter integrity, cortical complexity, numerical magnitude processing, working memory, and RAN.
Sample consisted of 43 typically developing 9-10-year-olds.

Main Results:

White matter integrity in the right inferior longitudinal fasciculus was a unique predictor of arithmetic fluency.
Cortical complexity of the left postcentral gyrus also uniquely predicted arithmetic fluency.
These structural brain measures explained variance in arithmetic performance beyond cognitive variables.

Conclusions:

Structural neuroimaging measures, specifically white matter integrity and cortical complexity, offer unique insights into individual differences in arithmetic fluency.
These findings highlight the neurobiological underpinnings of mathematical abilities that are not solely explained by cognitive factors.