Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94304, USA.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 May 14;110(20):8230-5. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1222154110. Epub 2013 Apr 29.
Now, more than ever, the ability to acquire mathematical skills efficiently is critical for academic and professional success, yet little is known about the behavioral and neural mechanisms that drive some children to acquire these skills faster than others. Here we investigate the behavioral and neural predictors of individual differences in arithmetic skill acquisition in response to 8-wk of one-to-one math tutoring. Twenty-four children in grade 3 (ages 8-9 y), a critical period for acquisition of basic mathematical skills, underwent structural and resting-state functional MRI scans pretutoring. A significant shift in arithmetic problem-solving strategies from counting to fact retrieval was observed with tutoring. Notably, the speed and accuracy of arithmetic problem solving increased with tutoring, with some children improving significantly more than others. Next, we examined whether pretutoring behavioral and brain measures could predict individual differences in arithmetic performance improvements with tutoring. No behavioral measures, including intelligence quotient, working memory, or mathematical abilities, predicted performance improvements. In contrast, pretutoring hippocampal volume predicted performance improvements. Furthermore, pretutoring intrinsic functional connectivity of the hippocampus with dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal cortices and the basal ganglia also predicted performance improvements. Our findings provide evidence that individual differences in morphometry and connectivity of brain regions associated with learning and memory, and not regions typically involved in arithmetic processing, are strong predictors of responsiveness to math tutoring in children. More generally, our study suggests that quantitative measures of brain structure and intrinsic brain organization can provide a more sensitive marker of skill acquisition than behavioral measures.
现在，高效获取数学技能的能力对于学术和职业成功至关重要，但对于推动一些孩子比其他孩子更快地掌握这些技能的行为和神经机制知之甚少。在这里，我们研究了个体在接受 8 周一对一数学辅导后，算术技能习得方面的差异的行为和神经预测指标。24 名三年级（8-9 岁）儿童在接受结构和静息状态功能磁共振成像扫描前接受了辅导。研究发现，随着辅导的进行，儿童在解决算术问题时从计数到事实检索的策略发生了显著转变。值得注意的是，随着辅导的进行，儿童解决算术问题的速度和准确性都有所提高，有些儿童的提高幅度明显大于其他儿童。接下来，我们研究了预辅导时的行为和大脑测量值是否可以预测儿童在接受辅导后的算术成绩提高的个体差异。没有行为测量指标，包括智商、工作记忆或数学能力，能够预测成绩的提高。相比之下，预辅导时的海马体体积可以预测成绩的提高。此外，预辅导时海马体与背外侧和腹外侧前额叶皮质以及基底神经节的内在功能连接也可以预测成绩的提高。我们的研究结果提供了证据，表明与学习和记忆相关的大脑区域的形态和连接的个体差异，而不是通常与算术处理相关的区域，是儿童对数学辅导反应能力的强预测指标。更普遍地说，我们的研究表明，大脑结构和内在大脑组织的定量测量可以比行为测量提供更敏感的技能习得标志物。
