Neuroscience of Dyscalculia - Dyslexia of Dyscalculia and... · Developmental Dyscalculia Structural and functional neuronal differences mainly in parietal areas Intervention Behavioural

Karin Kucian, 5th All European Dyslexia Conference, Modena 2016 - 1

PD Dr. sc. nat. Karin Kucian

Center for MR-Research

University Children‘s Hospital Zurich

Neuroscience of Dyscalculia


Outline

Typical Development of Neural Networks

for Numerical Cognition

Neuronal Correlates of Developmental Dyscalculia

Intervention


Outline




Intervention


Numerical Cognition

Numerical Cognition

Cognitive processes related to the understanding und processing of

numbers as well as calculation.

Many competencies necessary

Number system

2 1transcoding

„two“ 2

magnitudes

Fact knowledge1 x 1

procedures

written

calculations

concepts

3 ∙ 3

3 + 3 + 3

Basic Compentencies

(Number Processing)

Calculation Compentencies

(Arithmetic)


infancyadulthood

Discrimination

of numerosity

schooling

Counting,

Number words Number acuity &

mental number line

Arabic

Numbersnumber processing

Development of numerical cognition

infancyadulthood

Discrimination

of numerosity

schooling

number processing

after McCaskey 2015

Finger

calculation

Fact retrieval


Discrimination of

numerosity in 6-month-olds Hyde et al. 2010


infancyadulthood

Discrimination

of numerosity

schooling

number processing

after McCaskey 2015

infancyadulthood

Discrimination

of numerosity

schooling

number processing


Number processing in 4 to

14-year-oldsEmerson & Cantlon 2014, Vogel et al. 2015

infancyadulthood

Discrimination

of numerosity

schooling

Counting,


mental number line

Arabic



after McCaskey 2015


Developmental shift Rivera et al. 2005, Kucian et al. 2008

infancyadulthood

Discrimination

of numerosity

schooling

Counting,


mental number line

Arabic


Finger

calculation

Fact retrieval


after McCaskey 2015


Typical development (cross-sectional)functional magnetic resonance imaging

calculation

processes get

automatized

Functional specialization of task related areas

Higher working

memory and

attentional load

Kucian et al. (2008)

brain development

childhood adulthood

Stronger frontal activation Stronger parietal activation


Typical development (longitudinal)functional magnetic resonance imaging

calculation

processes get

automatized

Focussing of neuronal representation

Higher working

memory and

attentional load

McCaskey (submitted)

brain development

childhood adolesence


Domain-general factors:

working memory, reasoning, attention, visuo-spatial abilities

infancyadulthood

Discrimination

of numerosity

schooling

Counting,


mental number line

Arabic


Finger

calculation

Fact retrieval


after McCaskey 2015


Neuronal network for calculation

Kucian (2016)

anteriorposterior


Summary I



1. Key area = intraparietal sulcus (IPS)

2. Right Left

Left parietal areas become more important for symbolic

number processing

3. Fronto Parietal

Decreased supporting functions (frontal)

Cortical specialization and automatization (parietal)

3. Complex fronto-parietal network for numerical cognition


Outline




Intervention


Developmental Dyscalculia

Specific impairment in acquisition

of numerical-arithmetical skills (WHO 2010)

Prevalence of 3-7% (von Aster et al. 2007)

Persisting character (Shalev et al. 2005,

Geary et al. 2013)

Comorbid disorders (von Aster et al. 2007)

Dyslexia (17-60%)

ADHD (26-42%)

Secondary consequences as

math-anxiety and school refusal (Auerbach et al. 2008)


Domain-general factors:working memory, reasoning, attention, visuo-spatial abilities

infancyadulthood

Discrimination of numerosity

schooling

Counting, Number words Number acuity &

mental number line

Arabic Numbers

number processing

Finger calculation

Fact retrieval

Deficits in developmental dyscalculia

after McCaskey 2015


Neuronal correlates of dyscalculia

Does the brain look

different?

Do they activate

different brain regions

during calculation?

Are their brain regions

differently connected?Does brain

development differ?

Can I use brain

images for

diagnosis?


Does the brain look different?Brain structure

GM WM CSF

Medium frontal gyrus, bilateral

Inferior frontal gyrus, left

Anterior cingulate, bilateral

Intraparietal sulcus, right

Reduced grey matter in dyscalculia:

Rotzer & Kucian et al. 2008



Medium frontal gyrus, bilateral

Inferior frontal gyrus, left

Anterior cingulate, bilateral

Intraparietal sulcus, right

Reduced grey matter in dyscalculia:

Structural neuronal

correlate of number

processing

Affected working

memory and

attentionional areas

Rotzer & Kucian et al. 2008



Reduced

amygdala

volume

Kucian et al. (in preparation)

Increased volume of

ventro medial prefrontal

cortex (vmPFC)


Brain activation

Dyscalculics show

increased activation in

supporting frontal areas

Dyscalculics show

reduced activation in

numerical key areas


Brain activationnon-symbolic numerical distance effect



Atypical development (longitudinal)of brain activation

calculation

processes get

automatized

Increased activation in entire network

delayed development?

Still right lateralized

network

McCaskey et al. (submitted)

brain development

childhood adolescence


Are their brain regions differentlyconnected?


Fibre connections

A superior longitudinal Fasciculus, close to IPS

B superior longitudinal Fasciculus

C superior longitudinal Fasciculus

anterior SLFposterior SLF

inferior SLF



Children with DD show alterations in the SLF, a fibre tract connecting

parietal, temporal and frontal areas.

Fast and accurate exchange between

frontal- and parietal lobes are important

for many higher cognitive functions.

Unterschiede im SLF



Summary II


1. Does the brain look different?a. Yes, reduced grey matter volume in key areas (IPS) and

supporting brain regions (frontal)

b. Math anxiety leads to alterations of brain structures

2. Do dyscalculics activate different brain regions?a. No, but reduced activation in parietal areas and increased

supporting activations (frontal)

3. Does brain development differ of dyscalculics?a. Yes, might be delayed

4. Are their brain regions differently connected?a. Weaker connections between parietal and frontal lobes


Outline




Intervention


Intervention for children with DD

White matter (DTI)


Computer-based intervention for DD

Rescue Calcularis Dybuster Calcularis

http://www.freeimageslive.com/galleries/workplace/education/pics/arithmetic.jpg





Intervention: Rescue Calcularis

Computer-based number line training

5 weeks

5 days a week

20 min a day

Children with developmental dyscalculia

Typical achieving children


* p < .05

** p < .01

Behavioural training effects

Number line test Addition & Subtraction



After training, less supporting neuronal

recourses are needed (working memory,

executive functions, attention)

Reduced brain

activation

Increased

brain

activationIncreased IPS activation after 5-

weeks of consolidation

Neuronal training effects



Intervention: Dybuster Calcularis

Computer-based training of numerical cognition

6-12 weeks

5 days a week

20 min a day

Children with developmental dyscalculia

Typical achieving children

Evaluation in 2 studies:

• Pilot study (Zurich) N = 35 (Käser et al. 2013)

• Multicenter study (Berlin, Potsdam, Zurich) N = 135 (Rauscher et al. 2016)



Highly adaptiv: Bayes network Error library

What is trained? subitizing

estimation

numbers (verbal, Arabic, concrete)

transcoding (verbal Arabic concrete)

number line

bigger / smaller

relations

concept of operations

addition / subtraction

multiplication / division



Increase motivation

Decrease stress

Home & school version

Anytime & everywhere


Trainingseffekte – Dybuster Calcularis

Rauscher et al. (2016) & Käser et al. (2013)


Summary III

Intervention

1. Specific and adaptive computer based intervention are

helpful, but have to be seen as supplement to therapy

2. Behavioural improvements on trained subject (number line)

as well as transfer to other numerical domains (arithmetic)

3. Positive modulation of brain activation after training

4. Dybuster Calcularis is a highly adaptive and sofisticated

computer-based intervention which improves numerical

skills and reduces math anxiety


Conclusions

Typical brain development

Hierarchical development of

number processing and

arithmetic

Left parietal regions get more

important when symbolic

numbers are processed

Ontogenetic shift from frontal to

parietal regions

Complex fronto-parietal

network for calculation

Developmental Dyscalculia

Structural and functional

neuronal differences mainly in

parietal areas

Intervention

Behavioural improvements and

neuroplastic changes after

specific training


PD Dr. Ruth O’Gorman

Prof. Michael von Aster

PD Dr. sc. nat. Karin Kucian

Dr. Ursina McCaskey

Thank you for your attention! [email protected]

http://www.kispi.uzh.ch

Documents

Neuroscience of Dyscalculia - Dyslexia of Dyscalculia and... · Developmental Dyscalculia Structural and functional neuronal differences mainly in parietal areas Intervention Behavioural