Abstract
Neurocognitive studies of arithmetic learning in adults have revealed decreasing brain activation in the fronto-parietal network, along with increasing activation of specific cortical and subcortical areas during learning. Both changes are associated with a shift from procedural to retrieval strategies for problem-solving. Here we address the critical, open question of whether similar neurocognitive changes are also evident in children. In this study, 20 typically developing children were trained to solve simple and complex multiplication problems. The one-session and two-week training effects were monitored using simultaneous functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and electroencephalography (EEG). FNIRS measurement after one session of training on complex multiplication problems revealed decreased activation at the left angular gyrus (AG), right superior parietal lobule, and right intraparietal sulcus. Two weeks of training led to decreased activation at the left AG and right middle frontal gyrus. For both simple and complex problems, we observed increased alpha power in EEG measurements as children worked on trained versus untrained problems. In line with previous multiplication training studies in adults, reduced activation within the fronto-parietal network was observed after training. Contrary to adults, we found that strategy shifts via arithmetic learning were not contingent on the activation of the left AG in children.
Highlights
Arithmetic learning improves mathematical competence, which is necessary for managing daily transactions and securing job opportunities, among other advantages[1]
According to the triple-code model, the network contains three parietal regions: the intraparietal sulcus (IPS), which supports domain-specific magnitude processing of numerals, the superior parietal lobule (SPL), which is associated with domain-general attention processes, and the left angular gyrus (AG), which is involved in domain-general verbal processing and the retrieval of
In the simple multiplication condition, a significant main effect of measurement time revealed that inverse efficiency scores improved after two weeks of training [F(1,19) = 18.16, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.49]
Summary
Arithmetic learning improves mathematical competence, which is necessary for managing daily transactions and securing job opportunities, among other advantages[1]. A longitudinal study revealed decreased activation in the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the left SPL, and the right parieto-occipital cortex, as well as increased activation of the bilateral hippocampus over the course of one year of school education in 7- to 9-year-old children[22]. The authors suggested that the medial temporal lobe, including the hippocampus, plays a critical transient role in arithmetic learning in children, but not in adults[22] In line with this finding, a one-on-one math tutoring study in third-grade children reported changes in the morphometry of the hippocampus and its connectivity with frontal regions as the best predictor of improvement in arithmetic problem-solving[23]
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