Electrophysiological correlates of symbolic numerical order processing.

Determining if a sequence of numbers is ordered or not is one of the fundamental aspects of numerical processing linked to concurrent and future arithmetic skills. While some studies have explored the neural underpinnings of order processing using functional magnetic resonance imaging, our understanding of electrophysiological correlates is comparatively limited. To address this gap, we used a three-item symbolic numerical order verification task (with Arabic numerals from 1 to 9) to study event-related potentials (ERPs) in 73 adult participants in an exploratory approach.

Language-switching and retrieval-based learning: an unfavorable combination.

Language-switching costs arise when learners encode information in one language and subsequently recall that information in a different language. The assumed cognitive mechanism behind these costs is the principle of encoding specificity that implies language-dependent representations of information. The aim of our study was to test this mechanism and to gain insights into the impact of language-switching on subsequent learning.

Mathematical expertise: the role of domain-specific knowledge for memory and creativity.

In contrast to traditional expertise domains like chess and music, very little is known about the cognitive mechanisms in broader, more education-oriented domains like mathematics. This is particularly true for the role of mathematical experts' knowledge for domain-specific information processing in memory as well as for domain-specific and domain-general creativity. In the present work, we compared 115 experts in mathematics with 109 gender, age, and educational level matched novices in their performance in (a) a newly developed mathematical memory task requiring encoding and recall of structured and unstructured information and (b) tasks drawing either on mathematical or on domain-general creativity.

Modulation of resting-state networks following repetitive transcranial alternating current stimulation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.

Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) offers a unique method to temporarily manipulate the activity of the stimulated brain region in a frequency-dependent manner. However, it is not clear if repetitive modulation of ongoing oscillatory activity with tACS over multiple days can induce changes in grey matter resting-state functional connectivity and white matter structural integrity. The current study addresses this question by applying multiple-session theta band stimulation on the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-DLPFC) during arithmetic training.

(Lack of) neural efficiency related to general giftedness and mathematical excellence: An EEG study.

Previous studies on intelligence have demonstrated that higher abilities are associated with lower brain activation, indicating a higher neural efficiency. In other words, more able individuals use fewer brain resources. However, it is unclear whether the neural efficiency phenomenon also appears for mathematical performance, which is influenced by both domain-general giftedness and domain-specific competencies.

Interference between naïve and scientific theories in mathematics and science: An fMRI study comparing mathematicians and non-mathematicians.

Background: One frequent learning obstacle in mathematics is conceptual interference. However, the majority of research on conceptual interference has focused on science. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, we examined the conceptual interference effects in both mathematics and science and the moderating influence of mathematical expertise.

A checklist for assessing the methodological quality of concurrent tES-fMRI studies (ContES checklist): a consensus study and statement.

Low-intensity transcranial electrical stimulation (tES), including alternating or direct current stimulation, applies weak electrical stimulation to modulate the activity of brain circuits. Integration of tES with concurrent functional MRI (fMRI) allows for the mapping of neural activity during neuromodulation, supporting causal studies of both brain function and tES effects. Methodological aspects of tES-fMRI studies underpin the results, and reporting them in appropriate detail is required for reproducibility and interpretability.

Revisiting the Role of Worries in Explaining the Link Between Test Anxiety and Test Performance.

The inverse relationship between test anxiety and test performance is commonly explained by test-anxious students' tendency to worry about a test and the consequences of failing. However, other cognitive facets of test anxiety have been identified that could account for this link, including interference by test-irrelevant thoughts and lack of confidence. In this study, we compare different facets of test anxiety in predicting test performance.

Oscillatory electroencephalographic patterns of arithmetic problem solving in fourth graders.

Numerous studies have identified neurophysiological correlates of performing arithmetic in adults. For example, oscillatory electroencephalographic (EEG) patterns associated with retrieval and procedural strategies are well established. Whereas fact retrieval has been linked to enhanced left-hemispheric theta ERS (event-related synchronization), procedural strategies are accompanied by increased bilateral alpha ERD (event-related desynchronization).

Theta Band Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation Enhances Arithmetic Learning: A Systematic Comparison of Different Direct and Alternating Current Stimulations.

Over the last decades, interest in transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) has grown, as it might allow for causal investigations of the associations between cortical activity and cognition as well as to directly influence cognitive performance. The main objectives of the present work were to assess whether tES can enhance the acquisition and application of arithmetic abilities, and whether it enables a better assessment of underlying neurophysiological processes. To this end, the present, double-blind, sham-controlled study assessed the effects of six active stimulations (three tES protocols: anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), alpha band transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), and theta band tACS; targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex or the left posterior parietal cortex) on the acquisition of an arithmetic procedure, arithmetic facts, and event-related synchronization/desynchronization (ERS/ERD) patterns.

Effects of transcranial stimulation in developmental neurocognitive disorders: A critical appraisal.

Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) has been highlighted as a powerful tool to promote neuroplasticity, and an attractive approach to support cognitive remediation. Here we provide a systematic review of 26 papers using NIBS to ameliorate cognitive dysfunctions in three prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Developmental Dyslexia and Developmental Dyscalculia. An overview of the state of research shows a predominance of studies using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) techniques, and an unequal distribution among clinical conditions.

Interference between naïve and scientific theories occurs in mathematics and is related to mathematical achievement.

When students learn a scientific theory that conflicts with their earlier naïve theories, the newer and more correct knowledge does not always replace the older and more incorrect knowledge. Both may coexist in a learner's long-term memory. Using a new speeded reasoning task, Shtulman and Valcarcel (2012) showed that naïve theories interfere with retrieving scientific theories.

Primitive visual channels have a causal role in cognitive transfer.

Scientific investigations have long emphasized the cortex's role in cognitive transfer and arithmetic abilities. To date, however, this assumption has not been thoroughly empirically investigated. Here we demonstrated that primitive mechanisms-lower visual channels-have a causal role in cognitive transfer of complex skills such as symbolic arithmetic.

Can the interference effect in multiplication fact retrieval be modulated by an arithmetic training? An fMRI study.

Single-digit multiplications are thought to be associated with different levels of interference because they show different degrees of feature overlap (i.e., digits) with previously learnt problems.

Mathematical Creativity in Adults: Its Measurement and Its Relation to Intelligence, Mathematical Competence and General Creativity.

Mathematical creativity is perceived as an increasingly important aspect of everyday life and, consequently, research has increased over the past decade. However, mathematical creativity has mainly been investigated in children and adolescents so far. Therefore, the first goal of the current study was to develop a mathematical creativity measure for adults (MathCrea) and to evaluate its reliability and construct validity in a sample of 100 adults.

Fact retrieval or compacted counting in arithmetic-A neurophysiological investigation of two hypotheses.

There is broad consensus on the assumption that adults solve single-digit multiplication problems almost exclusively by fact retrieval from memory. In contrast, there has been a long-standing debate on the cognitive processes involved in solving single-digit addition problems. This debate has evolved around two theoretical accounts.

Guidelines for TMS/tES clinical services and research through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has broadly disrupted biomedical treatment and research including non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS). Moreover, the rapid onset of societal disruption and evolving regulatory restrictions may not have allowed for systematic planning of how clinical and research work may continue throughout the pandemic or be restarted as restrictions are abated. The urgency to provide and develop NIBS as an intervention for diverse neurological and mental health indications, and as a catalyst of fundamental brain research, is not dampened by the parallel efforts to address the most life-threatening aspects of COVID-19; rather in many cases the need for NIBS is heightened including the potential to mitigate mental health consequences related to COVID-19.

Associations Between Individual Differences in Mathematical Competencies and Surface Anatomy of the Adult Brain.

Previously conducted structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies on the neuroanatomical correlates of mathematical abilities and competencies have several methodological limitations. Besides small sample sizes, the majority of these studies have employed voxel-based morphometry (VBM)-a method that, although it is easy to implement, has some major drawbacks. Taking this into account, the current study is the first to investigate in a large sample of typically developed adults the associations between mathematical abilities and variations in brain surface structure by using surface-based morphometry (SBM).

Effects of Anodal tDCS on Arithmetic Performance and Electrophysiological Activity.

Arithmetic abilities are among the most important school-taught skills and form the basis for higher mathematical competencies. At the same time, their acquisition and application can be challenging. Hence, there is broad interest in methods to improve arithmetic abilities.

The semantic control network mediates the relationship between symbolic numerical order processing and arithmetic performance in children.

Behavioural and neuroimaging studies have recently demonstrated that symbolic numerical order processing (i.e., deciding whether numbers are in an increasing/decreasing sequence or not) and symbolic numerical magnitude processing (e.

The joint influence of intelligence and practice on skill development throughout the life span.

The relative importance of different factors in the development of human skills has been extensively discussed. Research on expertise indicates that focused practice may be the sole determinant of skill, while intelligence researchers underline the relative importance of abilities at even the highest level of skill. There is indeed a large body of research that acknowledges the role of both factors in skill development and retention.

Interference during the retrieval of arithmetic and lexico-semantic knowledge modulates similar brain regions: Evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Single-digit multiplications are mainly solved by memory retrieval. However, these problems are also prone to errors due to systematic interference (i.e.

Individual differences in science competence among students are associated with ventrolateral prefrontal cortex activation.

Functional neuroimaging studies have revealed that, compared with novices, science experts show increased activation in dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal brain areas associated with inhibitory control mechanisms when providing scientifically valid responses in tasks related to electricity and mechanics. However, no study thus far has explored the relationship between activation of the key brain regions involved in inhibitory control mechanisms, namely the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPC) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPC), and individual differences in conceptual science competence, while controlling for scientific training. In the present study, 24 secondary school students (11 female participants, 13 male participants) were selected from a larger pool based on their performance on a conceptual science questionnaire and were divided into groups with low and high conceptual science competence.