Orthographic dependency in the neural correlates of reading: evidence from audiovisual integration in English readers.

Reading skills are indispensible in modern technological societies. In transparent alphabetic orthographies, such as Dutch, reading skills build on associations between letters and speech sounds (LS pairs). Previously, we showed that the superior temporal cortex (STC) of Dutch readers is sensitive to the congruency of LS pairs.

Semantic and perceptual processing of number symbols: evidence from a cross-linguistic fMRI adaptation study.

The ability to process the numerical magnitude of sets of items has been characterized in many animal species. Neuroimaging data have associated this ability to represent nonsymbolic numerical magnitudes (e.g.

Effects of problem size and arithmetic operation on brain activation during calculation in children with varying levels of arithmetical fluency.

Most studies on mathematics learning in the field of educational neuroscience have focused on the neural correlates of very elementary numerical processing skills in children. Little is known about more complex mathematical skills that are formally taught in school, such as arithmetic. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, the present study investigated how brain activation during single-digit addition and subtraction is modulated by problem size and arithmetic operation in 28 children aged 10-12 years with different levels of arithmetical fluency.

Linking brain-wide multivoxel activation patterns to behaviour: Examples from language and math.

A key goal of cognitive neuroscience is to find simple and direct connections between brain and behaviour. However, fMRI analysis typically involves choices between many possible options, with each choice potentially biasing any brain-behaviour correlations that emerge. Standard methods of fMRI analysis assess each voxel individually, but then face the problem of selection bias when combining those voxels into a region-of-interest, or ROI.

Developmental specialization in the right intraparietal sulcus for the abstract representation of numerical magnitude.

Because number is an abstract quality of a set, the way in which a number is externally represented does not change its quantitative meaning. In this study, we examined the development of the brain regions that support format-independent representation of numerical magnitude. We asked children and adults to perform both symbolic (Hindu-Arabic numerals) and nonsymbolic (arrays of squares) numerical comparison tasks as well as two control tasks while their brains were scanned using fMRI.

Common and segregated neural pathways for the processing of symbolic and nonsymbolic numerical magnitude: an fMRI study.

Numbers are everywhere in modern life. Looking out a window, one might see both symbolic numbers, like the numerals on a thermometer, and nonsymbolic quantities, such as the number of chickadees at a bird feeder. Although differences between symbolic and nonsymbolic numbers appear very salient, most research on numerical cognition has focused on similarities rather than differences between numerical stimulus formats.

Domain-specific and domain-general changes in children's development of number comparison.

The numerical distance effect (inverse relationship between numerical distance and reaction time in relative number comparison tasks) has frequently been used to characterize the mental representation of number. The size of the distance effect decreases over developmental time. However, it is unclear whether this reduction simply reflects developmental changes in domain-general speed of processing and whether it is specific to numerical compared with non-numerical magnitude.

White matter microstructures underlying mathematical abilities in children.

The role of gray matter function and structure in mathematical cognition has been well researched. Comparatively little is known about white matter microstructures associated with mathematical abilities. Diffusion tensor imaging data from 13 children (7-9 years) and two measures of their mathematical competence were collected.

Mapping numerical magnitudes onto symbols: the numerical distance effect and individual differences in children's mathematics achievement.

Although it is often assumed that abilities that reflect basic numerical understanding, such as numerical comparison, are related to children's mathematical abilities, this relationship has not been tested rigorously. In addition, the extent to which symbolic and nonsymbolic number processing play differential roles in this relationship is not yet understood. To address these questions, we collected mathematics achievement measures from 6- to 8-year-olds as well as reaction times from a numerical comparison task.