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Basic and Clinical Neuroscience 2021Mental arithmetic analysis based on Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals can help understand disorders, such as attention-deficit hyperactivity, dyscalculia, or autism...
INTRODUCTION
Mental arithmetic analysis based on Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals can help understand disorders, such as attention-deficit hyperactivity, dyscalculia, or autism spectrum disorder where the difficulty in learning or understanding the arithmetic exists. Most mental arithmetic recognition systems rely on features of a single channel of EEG; however, the relationships between EEG channels in the form of effective brain connectivity analysis can contain valuable information. This study aims to find distinctive, effective brain connectivity features and create a hierarchical feature selection for effectively classifying mental arithmetic and baseline tasks.
METHODS
We estimated effective connectivity using Directed Transfer Function (DTF), direct DTF (dDTF) and Generalized Partial Directed Coherence (GPDC) methods. These measures determine the causal relationship between different brain areas. A hierarchical feature subset selection method selects the most significant effective connectivity features. Initially, Kruskal- Wallis test was performed. Consequently, five feature selection algorithms, namely, Support Vector Machine (SVM) method based on Recursive Feature Elimination, Fisher score, mutual information, minimum Redundancy Maximum Relevance (RMR), and concave minimization and SVM are used to select the best discriminative features. Finally, the SVM method was used for classification.
RESULTS
The obtained results indicated that the best EEG classification performance in 29 participants and 60 trials is obtained using GPDC and feature selection via concave minimization method in Beta2 (15-22Hz) frequency band with 89% accuracy.
CONCLUSION
This new hierarchical automated system could be helpful in the discrimination of mental arithmetic and baseline tasks from EEG signals effectively.
HIGHLIGHTS
Propose effective connectivity to describe EEG signals during mental arithmetic task.Most significant connectivity features from generalized partial directed coherence method.Hierarchical feature selection from Kruskal-Wallis test and concave minimization method.
PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY
Brain analysis methods by Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals provide a suitable method to monitor human brain activity due to having high temporal resolution, being noninvasive, inexpensive, and portable method. Analysis of mental arithmetic based EEG signal is helpful for psychological disorders like dyscalculia where they have learning understanding arithmetic, attention deficit hyperactivity, and autism spectrum disorders with attention deficit problem. This study finds distinctive effective brain connectivity features and creates a hierarchical feature selection for classification of mental arithmetic and baseline tasks effectively. Best EEG classification performance in 29 participants and 60 trials is obtained using Generalized Partial Directed Coherence (GPDC) methods and feature selection via concave minimization method in Beta2 (15-22Hz) frequency band with 89% accuracy. Thus, this new hierarchical automated system is useful for discrimination of mental arithmetic and baseline tasks from EEG signal effectively.
PubMed: 35693148
DOI: 10.32598/bcn.2021.2034.1 -
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Jun 2024The intraparietal sulcus (IPS) has been associated with numerical processing. A recent study reported that the IPS sulcal pattern was associated with arithmetic and...
The intraparietal sulcus (IPS) has been associated with numerical processing. A recent study reported that the IPS sulcal pattern was associated with arithmetic and symbolic number abilities in children and adults. In the present study, we evaluated the link between numerical abilities and the IPS sulcal pattern in children with Developmental Dyscalculia (DD) and typically developing children (TD), extending previous analyses considering other sulcal features and the postcentral sulcus (PoCS). First, we confirm the longitudinal sulcal pattern stability of the IPS and the PoCS. Second, we found a lower proportion of left sectioned IPS and a higher proportion of a double-horizontal IPS shape bilaterally in DD compared to TD. Third, our analyses revealed that arithmetic is the only aspect of numerical processing that is significantly related to the IPS sulcal pattern (sectioned vs not sectioned), and that this relationship is specific to the left hemisphere. And last, correlation analyses of age and arithmetic in children without a sectioned left IPS indicate that although they may have an inherent disadvantage in numerical abilities, these may improve with age. Thus, our results indicate that only the left IPS sulcal pattern is related to numerical abilities and that other factors co-determine numerical abilities.
Topics: Humans; Dyscalculia; Male; Child; Female; Adolescent; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Parietal Lobe; Mathematics; Functional Laterality; Brain; Neuropsychological Tests
PubMed: 38642426
DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2024.101369 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2021
PubMed: 34122263
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.671771 -
NeuroImage Apr 2019Two hypotheses have been proposed about the etiology of neurodevelopmental learning disorders, such as dyslexia and dyscalculia: representation impairments and disrupted...
Two hypotheses have been proposed about the etiology of neurodevelopmental learning disorders, such as dyslexia and dyscalculia: representation impairments and disrupted access to representations. We implemented a multi-method brain imaging approach to directly investigate these representation and access hypotheses in dyscalculia, a highly prevalent but understudied neurodevelopmental disorder in learning to calculate. We combined several magnetic resonance imaging methods and analyses, including univariate and multivariate analyses, functional and structural connectivity. Our sample comprised 24 adults with dyscalculia and 24 carefully matched controls. Results showed a clear deficit in the non-symbolic magnitude representations in parietal, temporal and frontal regions, as well as hyper-connectivity in visual brain regions in adults with dyscalculia. Dyscalculia in adults was thereby related to both impaired number representations and altered connectivity in the brain. We conclude that dyscalculia is related to impaired number representations as well as altered access to these representations.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Cerebral Cortex; Connectome; Dyscalculia; Female; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Mathematical Concepts; Young Adult
PubMed: 29885484
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.06.012 -
Epilepsy & Behavior Case Reports 2019The clinical significance of Xp22.31 microduplication is still unclear. We describe a family in which a mother and two children have Xp22.31 microduplication associated...
The clinical significance of Xp22.31 microduplication is still unclear. We describe a family in which a mother and two children have Xp22.31 microduplication associated with different forms of epilepsy and epileptiform EEG abnormalities. The proband had benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes with dysgraphia and dyscalculia (IQ 72), the sister had juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, and both had bilateral talipes anomalies. The mother, who was the carrier of the microduplication, was asymptomatic. The asymptomatic father did not possess the microduplication. These data contribute to delineate the phenotype associated with Xp22.31 microduplication and suggest a potential pathogenic role for an epilepsy phenotype.
PubMed: 30603611
DOI: 10.1016/j.ebcr.2018.10.004 -
Dementia & Neuropsychologia 2021It is still debated if the main deficit in mathematical difficulties (MD) is nonsymbolic or symbolic numerical magnitude processing.
UNLABELLED
It is still debated if the main deficit in mathematical difficulties (MD) is nonsymbolic or symbolic numerical magnitude processing.
OBJECTIVES
In the present study, our main goal was to investigate nonsymbolic and symbolic numerical magnitude processing in MD and the relationship between these abilities and arithmetic.
METHODS
The Brazilian school-age children with MD completed a nonsymbolic and a symbolic numerical magnitude comparison task and an arithmetic task. We compared their performance with a group of children with typical achievement (TA) and investigated the association between numerical magnitude processing and arithmetic with a series of regression analyses.
RESULTS
Results indicated that children with MD had low performance in the nonsymbolic numerical magnitude comparison task. Performance in both nonsymbolic and symbolic numerical magnitude comparison tasks predicted arithmetic abilities in children with TA, but not in children with MD.
CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that children with MD have difficulties in nonsymbolic numerical magnitude processing, and do not engage basic numerical magnitude representations to solve arithmetic.
PubMed: 35509800
DOI: 10.1590/1980-57642021dn15-040013 -
NeuroImage. Clinical 2022Math disability (MD) or developmental dyscalculia is a highly prevalent learning disability involving deficits in computation and arithmetic fact retrieval and is...
Math disability (MD) or developmental dyscalculia is a highly prevalent learning disability involving deficits in computation and arithmetic fact retrieval and is associated with dysfunction of parietal and prefrontal cortices. It has been suggested that dyscalculia (and other learning disabilities and developmental disorders) can be viewed in terms of a broader 'dorsal stream vulnerability,' which could explain a range of dorsal visual stream function deficits, including poor coherent visual motion perception. Behavioral evidence from two studies in typical children has linked performance on visual motion perception to math ability, and a third behavioral study reported poorer visual motion perception in a small group of children with MD compared to controls. Visual motion perception relies on the magnocellular-dominated dorsal stream, particularly its constituent area V5/MT. Here we used functional MRI to measure brain activity in area V5/MT during coherent visual motion processing to test its relationship with math ability. While we found bilateral activation in V5/MT in 66 children/adolescents with varied math abilities, we found no relationships between V5/MT activity and standardized math measures. Next, we selected a group of children/adolescents with MD (n = 23) and compared them to typically developing controls (n = 18), but found no differences in activity in V5/MT or elsewhere in the brain. We followed these frequentist statistics with Bayesian analyses, which favored null models in both studies. We conclude that dorsal stream function subserving visual motion processing in area V5/MT is not related to math ability, nor is it altered in those with the math disability dyscalculia.
Topics: Adolescent; Bayes Theorem; Child; Developmental Disabilities; Dyscalculia; Humans; Motion Perception; Photic Stimulation; Visual Cortex
PubMed: 35580422
DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.103042 -
International Journal of Environmental... Sep 2021Mental health problems are prevalent among university students in Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on university...
BACKGROUND
Mental health problems are prevalent among university students in Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on university students' mental health and sleep in Saudi Arabia.
METHOD
A total of 582 undergraduate students from Saudi Arabia aged between 18 and 45 years old (M = 20.91, SD = 3.17) completed a cross-sectional online questionnaire measuring depression, anxiety, stress, resilience, and insomnia during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020). Analysis included an independent samples -test, one-way ANOVA, and Hierarchical regression analysis.
RESULTS
Undergraduate students reported high levels of depression, anxiety, and perceived stress and low levels of resilience ( < 0.001) during the pandemic. In addition, students reported experiencing insomnia. A hierarchical regression analysis indicated that lower resilience, high levels of insomnia, having a pre-existing mental health condition, and learning difficulties (such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, or dyscalculia) were significantly associated with high levels of depression and stress. In addition, lower resilience, a high level of insomnia, and pre-existing mental health conditions were significantly associated with high levels of anxiety. Finally, a lower level of psychological resilience and a high level of insomnia were significantly associated with increased levels of depression, anxiety and stress within university students.
CONCLUSION
This study has provided evidence that a lower level of psychological resilience and insomnia were associated with mental health problems among undergraduate students in Saudi Arabia, thus enhancing psychological resilience and interventions to support sleep and mental health are vital to support student well-being outcomes throughout the pandemic.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Anxiety; COVID-19; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depression; Humans; Mental Health; Middle Aged; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2; Saudi Arabia; Sleep; Students; Young Adult
PubMed: 34501935
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18179344 -
Deutsches Arzteblatt International Mar 201610-20% of children and adolescents have a mental health problem of some type. Manifestations such as attention deficits, cognitive disturbances, lack of motivation, and... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
10-20% of children and adolescents have a mental health problem of some type. Manifestations such as attention deficits, cognitive disturbances, lack of motivation, and negative mood all adversely affect scholastic development. It is often unclear what factors associated with school affect children's mental development and what preventive measures and interventions at school might be effective.
METHODS
This review is based on systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and randomized and non-randomized controlled trials that were retrieved by a selective search in the PubMed, PsycInfo, and Google Scholar databases.
RESULTS
The prevalence of hyperkinetic disorder is 1-6%. Its main manifestations are motor hyperactivity, an attention deficit, and impulsive behavior. Learning disorders such as dyscalculia and dyslexia affect 4-6% of children each, while 4-5% of children and adolescents suffer from depression, which is twice as prevalent in girls as in boys. Mental health problems increase the risk of repeating a grade, truancy, and dropping out of school. The risk of developing an internalizing or externalizing mental health problem can be lessened by changes in the school environment and by the implementation of evidencebased school programs.
CONCLUSION
Physicians, in collaboration with school social workers and psychologists, should help teachers recognize and contend with mental health problems among the children and adolescents whom they teach, to enable the timely detection of stress factors at school and the initiation of the necessary measures and aids. In particular, the school-entrance examination and screening for risk factors at school can make a positive contribution. Evidence-based preventive programs should be implemented in schools, and beneficial changes of the school environment should be a further goal.
Topics: Adolescent; Adolescent Health; Child; Child Behavior Disorders; Child Health; Comorbidity; Depression; Female; Humans; Learning Disabilities; Male; Mental Disorders; Prevalence; Risk Factors; Stress, Psychological; Students
PubMed: 27118666
DOI: 10.3238/arztebl.2016.0183 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2017The relationship between numbers and other magnitudes has been extensively investigated in the scientific literature. Here, the objectives were to examine whether two...
The relationship between numbers and other magnitudes has been extensively investigated in the scientific literature. Here, the objectives were to examine whether two continuous magnitudes, area and perimeter, are automatically processed and whether adults with developmental dyscalculia (DD) are deficient in their ability to automatically process one or both of these magnitudes. Fifty-seven students (30 with DD and 27 with typical development) performed a novel Stroop-like task requiring estimation of one aspect (area or perimeter) while ignoring the other. In order to track possible changes in automaticity due to practice, we measured performance after initial and continuous exposure to stimuli. Similar to previous findings, current results show a significant group × congruency interaction, evident beyond exposure level or magnitude type. That is, the DD group systematically showed larger Stroop effects. However, analysis of each exposure period showed that during initial exposure to stimuli the DD group showed larger Stroop effects in the perimeter and not in the area task. In contrast, during continuous exposure to stimuli no triple interaction was evident. It is concluded that both magnitudes are automatically processed. Nevertheless, individuals with DD are deficient in inhibiting irrelevant magnitude information in general and, specifically, struggle to inhibit salient area information after initial exposure to a perimeter comparison task. Accordingly, the findings support the assumption that DD involves a deficiency in multiple cognitive components, which include domain-specific and domain-general cognitive functions.
PubMed: 29312066
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02206