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Article
Neural underpinnings of numerical and spatial cognition: An fMRI meta-analysis of brain regions associated with symbolic number, arithmetic, and mental rotation
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
  • Zachary Hawes, The University of Western Ontario
  • H. Moriah Sokolowski, The University of Western Ontario
  • Chuka Bosah Ononye, The University of Western Ontario
  • Daniel Ansari, The University of Western Ontario
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-1-2019
URL with Digital Object Identifier
10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.05.007
Disciplines
Abstract

© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Where and under what conditions do spatial and numerical skills converge and diverge in the brain? To address this question, we conducted a meta-analysis of brain regions associated with basic symbolic number processing, arithmetic, and mental rotation. We used Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) to construct quantitative meta-analytic maps synthesizing results from 83 neuroimaging papers (24–31 studies/cognitive process). All three cognitive processes were found to activate bilateral parietal regions in and around the intraparietal sulcus (IPS); a finding consistent with shared processing accounts. Numerical and arithmetic processing were associated with overlap in the left IPS, whereas mental rotation and arithmetic both showed activity in the middle frontal gyri. These patterns suggest regions of cortex potentially more specialized for symbolic number representation and domain-general mental manipulation, respectively. Additionally, arithmetic was associated with unique activity throughout the fronto-parietal network and mental rotation was associated with unique activity in the right superior parietal lobe. Overall, these results provide new insights into the intersection of numerical and spatial thought in the human brain.

Citation Information
Zachary Hawes, H. Moriah Sokolowski, Chuka Bosah Ononye and Daniel Ansari. "Neural underpinnings of numerical and spatial cognition: An fMRI meta-analysis of brain regions associated with symbolic number, arithmetic, and mental rotation" Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Vol. 103 (2019) p. 316 - 336
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/daniel-ansari/17/