Dyscalculia: from brain to education

Science. 2011 May 27;332(6033):1049-53. doi: 10.1126/science.1201536.

Abstract

Recent research in cognitive and developmental neuroscience is providing a new approach to the understanding of dyscalculia that emphasizes a core deficit in understanding sets and their numerosities, which is fundamental to all aspects of elementary school mathematics. The neural bases of numerosity processing have been investigated in structural and functional neuroimaging studies of adults and children, and neural markers of its impairment in dyscalculia have been identified. New interventions to strengthen numerosity processing, including adaptive software, promise effective evidence-based education for dyscalculic learners.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Brain / physiopathology*
  • Brain Mapping
  • Child
  • Cognition
  • Humans
  • Learning
  • Learning Disabilities* / epidemiology
  • Learning Disabilities* / physiopathology
  • Learning Disabilities* / psychology
  • Mathematical Concepts*
  • Mathematics / education*
  • Parietal Lobe / physiopathology*
  • Software
  • Teaching