Comparing neurocognitive mechanisms of mathematical ability and fluency in children: insights from an fNIRS study

Abstract

Background Early proficiency in mathematics is a strong predictor of later academic success and life achievement, considering the practical skills that mastering the subject enables students to equip. Yet, there exists a paucity of research into the neural mechanisms supporting mathematical abilities in young children. Recent research utilises resting state functional connectivity (RSFC), a measure of the coherence of brain activity among brain regions in the absence of tasks, to understand the functional roles of these regions. Methods We analysed the RSFC of 45 children to investigate the intrinsic cognitive processes underpinning arithmetic processing in three regions of interest (ROIs): middle frontal gyrus, inferior parietal lobule, and precuneus. Correlations between RSFC among these regions and mathematics or math fluency scores, derived from the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-III), were examined. Results RSFC between the right precuneus and both the ipsilateral middle frontal gyrus and inferior parietal region may be associated with arithmetic processing speed and accuracy, while cross-hemispheric RSFC between the right precuneus and the left inferior parietal lobule appears to be associated with problem-solving and numeracy skills. RSFC between the right precuneus and left inferior parietal lobule differed in children performing below the 10th percentile in mathematics (out of 45 participants). Conclusions The results suggest that children of the same age may follow different neural development trajectories. More targeted and differentiated interventions are essential to offer additional and early support for students struggling with mathematics.