Processing of intentional and automatic number magnitudes in children born prematurely: evidence from fMRI.
Klein E., Moeller K., Kiechl-Kohlendorfer U., Kremser C., Starke M., Cohen Kadosh R., Pupp-Peglow U., Schocke M., Kaufmann L.
This study examined the neural correlates of intentional and automatic number processing (indexed by number comparison and physical Stroop task, respectively) in 6- and 7-year-old children born prematurely. Behavioral results revealed significant numerical distance and size congruity effects. Imaging results disclosed (1) largely overlapping fronto-parietal activation for intentional and automatic number processing, (2) a frontal to parietal shift of activation upon considering the risk factors gestational age and birth weight, and (3) a task-specific link between math proficiency and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signal within distinct regions of the parietal lobes-indicating commonalities but also specificities of intentional and automatic number processing.