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Ancient visual channels have a causal role in arithmetic calculations.
William Saban1,2, Asael Y Sklar3, Ran R Hassin4
1Department of Psychology and the Institute of Information Processing and Decision Making (IIPDM), University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel. williamsaban@gmail.com.
Scientific Reports
|November 24, 2021
Summary
This study reveals that primitive subcortical brain regions, not just the neocortex, are crucial for human mental arithmetic. These findings suggest a deeper evolutionary basis for numerical abilities across species.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Human arithmetic skills are typically linked to the large neocortex.
- Recent evidence suggests subcortical regions have functions beyond basic processing.
- The role of subcortical structures in higher-level cognition is increasingly recognized.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the contribution of lower-order visual monocular channels to symbolic arithmetic (addition and subtraction).
- To explore the causal relationship between mental arithmetic and primitive subcortical brain regions.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a sensitive behavioral method across four distinct experiments.
- Focused on the role of subcortical visual pathways in numerical tasks.
Main Results:
- Converging evidence indicates a causal link between mental arithmetic and primitive subcortical regions.
- Demonstrated the involvement of subcortical areas in symbolic addition and subtraction.
Conclusions:
- Subcortical regions are essential for complex numerical operations, challenging the neocortex-centric view of cognition.
- Findings imply that numerical abilities have deep neuroevolutionary roots, shared across species.
- Highlights the importance of subcortical-cortical network interplay in high-level cognitive functions.
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