Dysfunctional neural network of spatial working memory contributes to developmental dyscalculia

Rotzer, Stephanie; Loenneker, Thomas; Kucian, Karin; Martin, Ernst; Klaver, Peter; Aster, Michael von

doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2009.06.009

Cited by 190 publications

(178 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…The limitation of the present study is that the sample included children from two cities of the Sao Paulo State (Assis and Ourinhos), which restrict in part the generalization of the results, however, the results were not completely discrepant of the previous normative studies with ZAREKI and Zareki-R in general aspects (Dellatolas et al, 2000;Hein et al, 2000;Koumoula et al, 2004;von Aster, 2000;Rotzer et al, 2009). A present goal from the authors is to investigate if the current profile is equivalent in different regions of the country and include children at age 6 because recently Brazilian law anticipated the beginning of the 1 st grade of the primary school officially from age 7 to age 6; whereas for younger children, in SANTOS, SILVA, RIBEIRO, DIAS, FRIGÉRIO, DELLATOLAS, AND VON ASTER preschool level, seems to be more suitable to assess mathematical skills by the Zareki-K (Weinhold-Zulauf, Schweiter, & von Aster, 2003), Kindergarten adapted version in Portuguese by Santos, Paschoalini, and Molina (2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 58%

Number Processing and Calculation in Brazilian Children Aged 7-12 Years

et al. 2012

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Numerical cognition is based on two components - number processing and calculation. Its development is influenced by biological, cognitive, educational, and cultural factors. The objectives of the present study were to: i) assess number processing and calculation in Brazilian children aged 7-12 years from public schools using the Zareki-R (Battery of neuropsychological tests for number processing and calculation in children, Revised; von Aster & Dellatolas, 2006) in order to obtain normative data for Portuguese speakers; ii) identify how environment, age, and gender influences the development of these mathematical skills; iii) investigate the construct validity of the Zareki-R by the contrast with the Arithmetic subtest of WISC-III. The sample included 172 children, both genders, divided in two groups: urban (N= 119) and rural (N= 53) assessed by the Zareki-R. Rural children presented lower scores in one aspect of number processing; children aged 7-8 years demonstrated an inferior global score than older; boys presented a superior performance in both number processing and calculation. Construct validity of Zareki-R was demonstrated by high to moderate correlations with Arithmetic subtest of WISC-III. The Zareki-R therefore is a suitable instrument to assess the development of mathematical skills, which is influenced by factors such as environment, age, and gender.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 58%

Number Processing and Calculation in Brazilian Children Aged 7-12 Years

et al. 2012

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“…It is closely linked with the acquisition of complex cognitive skills (Cowan, 2013) such as reading (Cain, Oakhill, & Bryant, 2004), mathematics (Dumontheil & Klingberg, 2011), and other academic subjects (Clair‐Thompson & Gathercole, 2006; Gathercole, Pickering, Knight, & Stegmann, 2003). Deficits in working memory have been identified across a range of neurodevelopmental disorders, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (Holmes et al., 2014; Martinussen, Hayden, Hogg‐Johnson, & Tannock, 2005), dyslexia (Smith‐Spark & Fisk, 2007), dyscalculia (Rotzer et al., 2009; Szucs, Devine, Soltesz, Nobes, & Gabriel, 2013), and language disorders (Archibald & Gathercole, 2006; Gathercole & Baddeley, 1989; Montgomery, 2000; Weismer, Evans, & Hesketh, 1999). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differences in brain morphology and working memory capacity across childhood

Bathelt

Gathercole

Johnson

et al. 2017

Developmental Science

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Working memory (WM) skills are closely associated with learning progress in key areas such as reading and mathematics across childhood. As yet, however, little is known about how the brain systems underpinning WM develop over this critical developmental period. The current study investigated whether and how structural brain correlates of components of the working memory system change over development. Verbal and visuospatial short‐term and working memory were assessed in 153 children between 5.58 and 15.92 years, and latent components of the working memory system were derived. Fractional anisotropy and cortical thickness maps were derived from T1‐weighted and diffusion‐weighted MRI and processed using eigenanatomy decomposition. There was a greater involvement of the corpus callosum and posterior temporal white matter in younger children for performance associated with the executive part of the working memory system. For older children, this was more closely linked with the thickness of the occipitotemporal cortex. These findings suggest that increasing specialization leads to shifts in the contribution of neural substrates over childhood, moving from an early dependence on a distributed system supported by long‐range connections to later reliance on specialized local circuitry. Our findings demonstrate that despite the component factor structure being stable across childhood, the underlying brain systems supporting working memory change. Taking the age of the child into account, and not just their overall score, is likely to be critical for understanding the nature of the limitations on their working memory capacity.

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“…One interpretation is that C1 had normal overall WM capacity, but difficulties with encoding and retaining spatial information in working-memory stemming from impoverished spatial information subserved by the IPS. The fronto-parietal network subserving visuospatial working memory includes structures such as the IPS and inferior frontal gyrus (Rotzer et al, 2009). Thus, the IFG may receive compromised data from the IPS via the dorsal visual stream, manifesting itself as impaired visuospatial WM.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Magnitude Processing in Developmental Dyscalculia : A Heterogeneous Learning Disability with Different Cognitive Profiles

Skagerlund¹

2016

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Developmental dyscalculia (DD) is a learning disability that is characterized by severe difficulties with acquiring age-appropriate mathematical skills that cannot be attributed to insufficient education, language skills, or motivation. The prevalence rate is estimated at 3-6%, meaning that a substantial portion of the population struggles to learn mathematics to such a large degree that it affects overall well-being and academic prospects. However, our understanding of the etiology of DD is incomplete and there are competing hypotheses regarding the characteristics of DD and its underlying causal factors. The purpose of the current thesis is to contribute to our understanding of DD from the perspective of cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience. To this end, we identify children with DD to identify the cognitive determinants of DD that hamper their ability to learn basic mathematics. It is believed that human beings are endowed with an innate ability to represent numerosities, an ability phylogenetically shared with other species.We investigate whether the purported innate number system plays a role in children with DD insofar as failures in this system may undermine the acquisition of symbolic representations of number. Although some researchers believe DD is a monolithic learning disability that is genetic and neurobiological in origin, the empirical support for various hypotheses suggests that DD may be shaped by heterogeneous characteristics and underlying causes. The present thesis, and the studies presented therein, provides support for the notion that DD is indeed heterogeneous. We identify at least two subtypes of DD that are characterized by specific deficits in number processing, and one subtype that could more aptly be labelled as a mathematical learning disability, the causal factors of which are likely limited to deficits in non-numerical abilities. In addition, we locate candidate neurocognitive correlates that may be dysfunctional in DD.

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Dysfunctional neural network of spatial working memory contributes to developmental dyscalculia

Cited by 190 publications

References 46 publications

Number Processing and Calculation in Brazilian Children Aged 7-12 Years

Number Processing and Calculation in Brazilian Children Aged 7-12 Years

Differences in brain morphology and working memory capacity across childhood

Magnitude Processing in Developmental Dyscalculia : A Heterogeneous Learning Disability with Different Cognitive Profiles

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