van Bueren Nienke E R, van der Ven Sanne H G, Roelofs Karin, Cohen Kadosh Roi, Kroesbergen Evelyn H
Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 GD Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK.
Brain Sci. 2022 Apr 26;12(5):550. doi: 10.3390/brainsci12050550.
Previous work has shown relations between domain-general processes, domain-specific processes, and mathematical ability. However, the underlying neurophysiological effects of mathematical ability are less clear. Recent evidence highlighted the potential role of beta oscillations in mathematical ability. Here we investigate whether domain-general (working memory) and domain-specific (number sense) processes mediate the relation between resting-state beta oscillations and mathematical ability, and how this may differ as a function of development (children vs. adults). We compared a traditional analysis method normally used in EEG studies with a more recently developed parameterization method that separates periodic from aperiodic activity. Regardless of methods chosen, we found no support for mediation of working memory and number sense, neither for children nor for adults. However, we found subtle differences between the methods. Additionally, we showed that the traditional EEG analysis method conflates periodic activity with aperiodic activity; in addition, the latter is strongly related to mathematical ability and this relation differs between children and adults. At the cognitive level, our findings do not support previous suggestions of a mediation of working memory and number sense. At the neurophysiological level our findings suggest that aperiodic, rather than periodic, activity is linked to mathematical ability as a function of development.
先前的研究表明了一般领域过程、特定领域过程与数学能力之间的关系。然而，数学能力潜在的神经生理效应尚不清楚。最近的证据凸显了β振荡在数学能力中的潜在作用。在此，我们研究一般领域（工作记忆）和特定领域（数感）过程是否介导静息态β振荡与数学能力之间的关系，以及这种关系如何随发育阶段（儿童与成人）而有所不同。我们将脑电图（EEG）研究中常用的传统分析方法与一种最近开发的参数化方法进行了比较，后者能将周期性活动与非周期性活动区分开来。无论选择哪种方法，我们都未发现工作记忆和数感起中介作用的证据，无论是儿童还是成人。然而，我们发现了两种方法之间的细微差异。此外，我们表明传统的EEG分析方法将周期性活动与非周期性活动混为一谈；此外，后者与数学能力密切相关，且这种关系在儿童和成人之间有所不同。在认知层面，我们的研究结果不支持先前关于工作记忆和数感起中介作用的观点。在神经生理层面，我们的研究结果表明，非周期性而非周期性活动与随发育阶段变化的数学能力相关。
