Structural and transcriptional signatures of arithmetic abilities in children

Arithmetic ability is critical for daily life, academic achievement, career development, and future economic success. Individual differences in arithmetic skills among children and adolescents are related to variations in brain structures. Most existing studies have used hypothesis-driven region of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:NPJ science of learning 2024-09, Vol.9 (1), p.58-11, Article 58
Main Authors: Zhang, Dai, Xie, Yanghui, Wang, Longsheng, Zhou, Ke
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
631/378/2649
631/477/2811
Adolescents
Association analysis
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Brain
Children
Educational Technology
Experimental psychology
Genetic analysis
Hypotheses
Image processing
Learning disabilities
Life Sciences
Mathematical models
Mathematical Models of Cognitive Processes and Neural Networks
Medical imaging
Memory
Multiplication & division
Neurobiology
Neuroimaging
Neuropsychology
Neurosciences
Prediction models
Substantia grisea
Synaptogenesis
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Summary:Arithmetic ability is critical for daily life, academic achievement, career development, and future economic success. Individual differences in arithmetic skills among children and adolescents are related to variations in brain structures. Most existing studies have used hypothesis-driven region of interest analysis. To identify distributed brain regions related to arithmetic ability, we used data-driven cross-validated predictive models to analyze cross-sectional behavioral and structural MRI data in children and adolescents. The gray matter volume (GMV) of widespread brain regions reliably predicted arithmetic abilities measured by the Comprehensive Mathematical Abilities Test. Furthermore, we applied neuroimaging-transcriptome association analysis to explore transcriptional signatures associated with structural patterns of arithmetic ability. Structural patterns of arithmetic ability primarily correlated with transcriptional profiles enriched for genes involved in transmembrane transport and synaptic signaling. Our findings enhance our understanding of the neural and genetic mechanisms underlying children’s arithmetic ability and offer a practical predictor for arithmetic skills during development.
ISSN:2056-7936
2056-7936
DOI:10.1038/s41539-024-00270-6