Neuroimaging shows adults with DD exhibit stronger frontal activations during number semantics, reduced right parietal grey matter, and altered functional connectivity during non-symbolic magnitude comparison¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r? · q2
Currency · newest study 2020 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2025: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Despite comparable accuracy, adults with DD display stronger frontal activations associated with quicker response latencies during number (but not word) semantic tasks, reduced grey matter in right parietal regions, and group differences during non-symbolic magnitude judgments in parietal and extra-parietal regions. → Liane Kaufmann 2020

Evidence¶

Liane Kaufmann 2020¶

Liane Kaufmann, Michael von Aster, Silke M. Göbel, Josef Marksteiner, and Elise Klein. (2020). Developmental Dyscalculia in Adults: Current Issues and Open Questions for Future Research. Lernen und Lernstörungen, 9(2), 126–137. https://doi.org/10.1024/2235-0977/a000294

q2 · i? · associational · r?

Review reports Cappelletti and Price (2014) fMRI study: DD adults showed "stronger activations in the right superior and left inferior frontal gyrus" for number semantics, interpreted as compensatory. Voxel-based morphometry revealed reduced grey matter in a right parietal region of interest despite comparable whole-brain volumes.

"adults with DD exhibited stronger activations in the right superior and left inferior frontal gyrus for solving number (but not word) semantic tasks."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Adults with DD rely on time-consuming back-up strategies like finger usage for single-digit arithmetic, with prolonged response latencies that appear number-specific — related
• Adults with DD show deficient conceptual size processing with preserved physical size processing, supporting shared magnitude substrates — related
• Children with DD show greater brain activation than TD children in parietal, occipito-temporal and prefrontal regions during both addition and subtraction — related
• Adults with DD show a reduced Number Stroop effect during physical comparison, suggesting weaker automatic activation of number magnitude — related
• Children with DD show hyper-connectivity, not reduced connectivity, between the IPS and fronto-parietal and default mode networks during arithmetic — related
• Adults with developmental dyscalculia show reduced left intraparietal activation during serial order processing relative to controls — related
• The putative visual word form area increases activation with presentation rate similarly in both groups, with no group difference or group-by-rate interaction — related
• No white-matter structural connectivity differences between adults with dyscalculia and controls in the examined tracts — related
• No univariate activation-level differences between adults with dyscalculia and controls during symbolic or non-symbolic number processing — reports the opposite
• Adults with dyscalculia show hyper-connectivity between primary visual cortex and inferior occipital cortex and fusiform gyrus — related
• Adults with dyscalculia show less distinct non-symbolic number representations than matched controls in anterior parietal, frontal and temporal cortex — related