Neural representations of numbers in the human cortex
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1
KU Leuven, Psychology, Belgium
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2
KU Leuven, Psychology and Educational Sciences, Belgium
Introduction
During the last couple of years there has been a boost of neuroimaging research about numerical cognition in order to reveal the underlying neural mechanisms of number processing, however most research have mainly focused on the activation of the parietal lobe. To increase knowledge about number processing, there is a need for understanding the qualitatively divergence of the neural representations between symbolic and non-symbolic numbers not only in the parietal lobe, but also in other brain regions.
Methods
Twelve subjects participated in a fMRI study. The participants were given a number comparison task in the scanner. We analyzed the data by applying multi-voxel pattern analysis, which allows us to focus on the neural representations of the different symbolic and non-symbolic numbers we presented to the participants. We looked into different regions of interest in the occipital lobe, frontal lobe, temporal lobe and parietal lobe.
Results
We were able to find the distance effect with neural representations of symbolic and non-symbolic numbers in the parietal and frontal cortex. This means that the neural representation of two numbers close together are more alike than two numbers that are further away, which lies in line with theories about the mental number line of Dehaene.
Conclusions
These results are the first neural evidence of the distance effect and mental number line, which seems not only to be originated in the parietal cortex but also in the frontal cortex.
Keywords:
multivoxel pattern analysis,
Intraparietal sulcus,
Numerical cognition,
fMRI,
distance effect
Conference:
Belgian Brain Council, Liège, Belgium, 27 Oct - 27 Oct, 2012.
Presentation Type:
Poster Presentation
Topic:
Other basic/clinical neurosciences topic
Citation:
Bulthé
J,
De Smedt
B and
Op De Beeck
H
(2012). Neural representations of numbers in the human cortex.
Conference Abstract:
Belgian Brain Council.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2012.210.00088
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Received:
28 Aug 2012;
Published Online:
12 Sep 2012.
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Correspondence:
Miss. Jessica Bulthé, KU Leuven, Psychology, Leuven, Belgium, jessica.bulthe@ppw.kuleuven.be