Neurostructural correlate of math anxiety in the brain of children

Adequate mathematical competencies are currently indispensable in professional and social life. However, mathematics is often associated with stress and frustration and the confrontation with tasks that require mathematical knowledge triggers anxiety in many children. We examined if there is a relat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Translational psychiatry 2018-12, Vol.8 (1), p.273-11, Article 273
Main Authors: Kucian, Karin, McCaskey, Ursina, O’Gorman Tuura, Ruth, von Aster, Michael
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
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Adolescent
Amygdala - pathology
Anxiety
Anxiety - complications
Anxiety - pathology
Behavioral Sciences
Biological Psychology
Child
Dyscalculia - complications
Dyscalculia - pathology
Female
Humans
Intelligence
Intelligence Tests
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Mathematical Concepts
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Neurosciences
Pharmacotherapy
Psychiatry
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Summary:Adequate mathematical competencies are currently indispensable in professional and social life. However, mathematics is often associated with stress and frustration and the confrontation with tasks that require mathematical knowledge triggers anxiety in many children. We examined if there is a relationship between math anxiety and changes in brain structure in children with and without developmental dyscalculia. Our findings showed that math anxiety is related to altered brain structure. In particular, the right amygdala volume was reduced in individuals with higher math anxiety. In conclusion, math anxiety not only hinders children in arithmetic development, but it is associated with altered brain structure in areas related to fear processing. This emphasizes the far-reaching outcome emotional factors in mathematical cognition can have and encourages educators and researchers alike to consider math anxiety to prevent detrimental long-term consequences on school achievement and quality of life, especially in children with developmental dyscalculia.
ISSN:2158-3188
2158-3188
DOI:10.1038/s41398-018-0320-6