Published in

Elsevier, Cortex, 4(44), p. 376-385

DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2007.08.003

Links

Tools

Export citation

Search in Google Scholar

A developmental fMRI study of nonsymbolic numerical and spatial processing

Journal article published in 2008 by L. Kaufmann, S. Vogel, G. Wood, C. Kremser ORCID, M. Schocke, L. Zimmerhackl, J. Koten
This paper is available in a repository.
This paper is available in a repository.

Full text: Download

Green circle
Preprint: archiving allowed
Red circle
Postprint: archiving forbidden
Red circle
Published version: archiving forbidden
Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

This functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study systematically investigates whether there is a neurofunctional overlap of nonsymbolic numerical and spatial cognition in (intra)parietal regions in children and adults. The study also explores the association between finger use and (nonsymbolic) number processing across development. Twenty-four healthy individuals (12 children, 12 adults) were asked to make nonsymbolic numerical and spatial (experimental tasks) as well as color discriminations (control task). Using identical stimulus material across the three tasks disentangled nonsymbolic number representations from general attentional mechanisms, visual-spatial processing and response selection requirements. In both age groups, behavioral distance effects were obtained upon processing numerical (but not spatial and/or color) stimuli. Baseline imaging effects revealed age-dependent, partly overlapping activations of nonsymbolic numerical and spatial processing in the right posterior superior parietal lobe (PSPL) in adults only. Interestingly, regions more activated in children relative to adults were centred on bilateral supramarginal gyrus (SMG) and lateral portions of the anterior intraparietal sulcus (IPS), further extending to adjacent right post- and precentral gyrus, the latter of which has been reported to support grasping previously (Simon et al., 2002). Overall, our results are first evidence for an age-dependent neurofunctional link between areas supporting finger use and nonsymbolic number processing and furthermore, might be suggestive of a special role of fingers for the development of number magnitude representations and early arithmetic.