TY - JOUR
T1 - Fractionating the neural correlates of individual working memory components underlying arithmetic problem solving skills in children
AU - Metcalfe, Arron W.S.
AU - Ashkenazi, Sarit
AU - Rosenberg-Lee, Miriam
AU - Menon, Vinod
PY - 2013/11/22
Y1 - 2013/11/22
N2 - Baddeley and Hitch's multi-component working memory (WM) model has played an enduring and influential role in our understanding of cognitive abilities. Very little is known, however, about the neural basis of this multi-component WM model and the differential role each component plays in mediating arithmetic problem solving abilities in children. Here, we investigate the neural basis of the central executive (CE), phonological (PL) and visuo-spatial (VS) components of WM during a demanding mental arithmetic task in 7-9 year old children (N = 74). The VS component was the strongest predictor of math ability in children and was associated with increased arithmetic complexity-related responses in left dorsolateral and right ventrolateral prefrontal cortices as well as bilateral intra-parietal sulcus and supramarginal gyrus in posterior parietal cortex. Critically, VS, CE and PL abilities were associated with largely distinct patterns of brain response. Overlap between VS and CE components was observed in left supramarginal gyrus and no overlap was observed between VS and PL components. Our findings point to a central role of visuo-spatial WM during arithmetic problem-solving in young grade-school children and highlight the usefulness of the multi-component Baddeley and Hitch WM model in fractionating the neural correlates of arithmetic problem solving during development.
AB - Baddeley and Hitch's multi-component working memory (WM) model has played an enduring and influential role in our understanding of cognitive abilities. Very little is known, however, about the neural basis of this multi-component WM model and the differential role each component plays in mediating arithmetic problem solving abilities in children. Here, we investigate the neural basis of the central executive (CE), phonological (PL) and visuo-spatial (VS) components of WM during a demanding mental arithmetic task in 7-9 year old children (N = 74). The VS component was the strongest predictor of math ability in children and was associated with increased arithmetic complexity-related responses in left dorsolateral and right ventrolateral prefrontal cortices as well as bilateral intra-parietal sulcus and supramarginal gyrus in posterior parietal cortex. Critically, VS, CE and PL abilities were associated with largely distinct patterns of brain response. Overlap between VS and CE components was observed in left supramarginal gyrus and no overlap was observed between VS and PL components. Our findings point to a central role of visuo-spatial WM during arithmetic problem-solving in young grade-school children and highlight the usefulness of the multi-component Baddeley and Hitch WM model in fractionating the neural correlates of arithmetic problem solving during development.
KW - Arithmetic cognition
KW - Central executive
KW - Development
KW - Individual differences
KW - Visuo-spatial
KW - Working memory
KW - fMRI
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84887844034&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.dcn.2013.10.001
DO - 10.1016/j.dcn.2013.10.001
M3 - Article
C2 - 24212504
AN - SCOPUS:84887844034
SN - 1878-9293
VL - 6
SP - 162
EP - 175
JO - Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
JF - Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
ER -