The neural correlates of calculation ability in children: an fMRI study

Davis, Nicole; Cannistraci, Christopher J.; Rogers, Baxter P.; Gatenby, J. Christopher; Fuchs, Lynn S.; Anderson, Adam W.; Gore, John C.

doi:10.1016/j.mri.2009.05.010

« Previous Next »Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Volume 27, Issue 9 , Pages 1187-1197, November 2009

The neural correlates of calculation ability in children: an fMRI study

Nicole Davis
- Vanderbilt University Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Nashville, TN 37203, USA
- Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Corresponding author. Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, AA1105 MCN, Nashville, TN 37232-2310, USA. Tel.: +1 615 343 4794; fax: +1 615 322 0734.
Christopher J. Cannistraci
- Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
Baxter P. Rogers
- Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University School of Engineering, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
J. Christopher Gatenby
- Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
Lynn S. Fuchs
- Vanderbilt University Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Nashville, TN 37203, USA
- Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37203, USA
Adam W. Anderson
- Vanderbilt University Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Nashville, TN 37203, USA
- Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University School of Engineering, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
John C. Gore
- Vanderbilt University Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Nashville, TN 37203, USA
- Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University School of Engineering, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA

Received 20 February 2009; received in revised form 31 March 2009; accepted 7 May 2009. published online 02 July 2009.

Abstract

Most studies investigating mental numerical processing involve adult participants and little is known about the functioning of these systems in children. The current study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the neural correlates of numeracy and the influence of age on these correlates with a group of adults and a group of third graders who had average to above average mathematical ability. Participants performed simple and complex versions of exact and approximate calculation tasks while in the magnet. Like adults, children activated a network of brain regions in the frontal and parietal lobes during the calculation tasks, and they recruited additional brain regions for the more complex versions of the tasks. However, direct comparisons between adults and children revealed significant differences in level of activation across all tasks. In particular, patterns of activation in the parietal lobe were significantly different as a function of age. Findings support previous claims that the parietal lobe becomes more specialized for arithmetic tasks with age.

Keywords: Arithmetic, fMRI, Mathematical skill, Numerical processing, School-age