NUMBRA · Numeracy and brain development

Final Activity Report Summary - NUMBRA (Numeracy and brain development)

Numerical ability is a necessary skill for citizens of highly numerate Europe. Our network used basic neuroscience to understand why some people had severe difficulties learning arithmetic, called dyscalculia. We discovered that there were specialised brain systems for representing numbers in the parietal lobes of the brain and that these were largely developed for this function by the age of five. These areas were intimately connected with the brain systems for space and fingers. People with dyscalculia had abnormal parietal development, which appeared to affect the way the brain represented both basic number concepts and fingers. We plotted the way in which the brain learned new numerical information and used this to help design and evaluate computer-based interventions that teachers could use to improve the arithmetical skills of dyscalculics and other low-attaining children.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union