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Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Mar 2024Numerical abilities are complex cognitive skills essential for dealing with requirements of the modern world. Although the brain structures and functions underlying... (Review)
Review
Numerical abilities are complex cognitive skills essential for dealing with requirements of the modern world. Although the brain structures and functions underlying numerical cognition in different species have long been appreciated, genetic and molecular techniques have more recently expanded the knowledge about the mechanisms underlying numerical learning. In this review, we discuss the status of the research related to the neurobiological bases of numerical abilities. We consider how genetic factors have been associated with mathematical capacities and how these link to the current knowledge of brain regions underlying these capacities in human and non-human animals. We further discuss the extent to which significant variations in the levels of specific neurotransmitters may be used as potential markers of individual performance and learning difficulties and take into consideration the therapeutic potential of brain stimulation methods to modulate learning and improve interventional outcomes. The implications of this research for formulating a more comprehensive view of the neural basis of mathematical learning are discussed.
Topics: Humans; Learning; Cognition; Brain; Mathematics; Neurobiology
PubMed: 38220032
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105545 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2023
PubMed: 37829073
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1288388 -
Trends in Neuroscience and Education Dec 2019Specific learning disorders, such as dyslexia and dyscalculia, are frequently studied to inform our understanding of cognitive development, genetic mechanisms and brain... (Review)
Review
Specific learning disorders, such as dyslexia and dyscalculia, are frequently studied to inform our understanding of cognitive development, genetic mechanisms and brain function. In this Opinion Paper, we discuss limitations of this research approach, including the use of arbitrary criteria to select groups of children, heterogeneity within groups and overlap between domains of learning. By drawing on evidence from cognitive science, neuroscience and genetics, we propose an alternative, dimensional framework. We argue that we need to overcome the problems associated with a categorical approach by taking into account interacting factors at multiple levels of analysis that are associated with overlapping rather than entirely distinct domains of learning. We conclude that this research strategy will allow for a richer understanding of learning and development.
Topics: Child; Child, Preschool; Cognition; Developmental Disabilities; Dyscalculia; Dyslexia; Humans; Learning Disabilities; Specific Learning Disorder
PubMed: 31685130
DOI: 10.1016/j.tine.2019.100115 -
Brain Sciences Dec 2021Dyslexia, a specific reading disability, is a common (up to 10% of children) and highly heritable (~70%) neurodevelopmental disorder. Behavioral and molecular genetic... (Review)
Review
Dyslexia, a specific reading disability, is a common (up to 10% of children) and highly heritable (~70%) neurodevelopmental disorder. Behavioral and molecular genetic approaches are aimed towards dissecting its significant genetic component. In the proposed review, we will summarize advances in twin and molecular genetic research from the past 20 years. First, we will briefly outline the clinical and educational presentation and epidemiology of dyslexia. Next, we will summarize results from twin studies, followed by molecular genetic research (e.g., genome-wide association studies (GWASs)). In particular, we will highlight converging key insights from genetic research. (1) Dyslexia is a highly polygenic neurodevelopmental disorder with a complex genetic architecture. (2) Dyslexia categories share a large proportion of genetics with continuously distributed measures of reading skills, with shared genetic risks also seen across development. (3) Dyslexia genetic risks are shared with those implicated in many other neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., developmental language disorder and dyscalculia). Finally, we will discuss the implications and future directions. As the diversity of genetic studies continues to increase through international collaborate efforts, we will highlight the challenges in advances of genetics discoveries in this field.
PubMed: 35053771
DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12010027 -
American Family Physician Nov 2019Academic underachievement, such as failing a class and the threat of being held back because of academic issues, is common. Family physicians can provide support and... (Review)
Review
Academic underachievement, such as failing a class and the threat of being held back because of academic issues, is common. Family physicians can provide support and guidance for families as they approach their child's unique academic challenges. Specific learning disabilities are a group of learning disorders (e.g., dyscalculia, dysgraphia, dyslexia) that impede a child's ability to learn. Understanding standard educational terms; looking for medical, family, and social risk factors associated with academic underachievement; and investigating the medical differential for academic underachievement can help direct the family to appropriate care. The physician can provide medical documentation to support an individualized education program evaluation and address risk factors that schools may not be aware of or cannot assess. The family physician can support children and families by understanding the connection between risk factors, medical and educational evaluations, and educational resources.
Topics: Child; Family Relations; Humans; Learning Disabilities; Physician's Role; Physicians, Family; Risk Factors; Schools
PubMed: 31730315
DOI: No ID Found -
Frontiers in Psychology 2023Research on typically developing children and adults and people with developmental and acquired dyscalculia converges in indicating that arithmetical ability is not... (Review)
Review
Research on typically developing children and adults and people with developmental and acquired dyscalculia converges in indicating that arithmetical ability is not unitary but is made up of many different components. Categories of components include non-symbolic quantity representation and processing; symbolic quantity representation and processing; counting procedures and principles; arithmetic operations; arithmetical knowledge and understanding; multiple forms and applications of conceptual knowledge of arithmetic; and domain-general abilities such as attention, executive functions and working memory. There is much evidence that different components can and often do show considerable functional independence, not only in developmental and acquired dyscalculia, but in typically achieving children and adults. At the same time, it is possible to find complex interactions and bidirectional relationships between the different components, including between domain-specific and apparently domain-general abilities. There is a great deal that still needs to be discovered. In particular, we need to learn more about the origins in infancy of subitizing and approximate magnitude comparison, the extent to which these interact, the extent to which they may be further divisible, and the extent and ways in which they themselves may develop with age and the extent to which they may influence later-developing components. There also needs to be a lot more research on exactly how domain-general and domain-specific abilities contribute to mathematical development, and how they interact with one another.
PubMed: 37780151
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1188271 -
Epilepsia Open Mar 2022The present study aimed to examine the prevalence of dyscalculia, dyslexia, and their comorbidity rates in a large population-based sample of children with idiopathic...
OBJECTIVE
The present study aimed to examine the prevalence of dyscalculia, dyslexia, and their comorbidity rates in a large population-based sample of children with idiopathic epilepsy (N = 2282) and a comparison sample of typically developing schoolchildren (N = 2371).
METHODS
Both groups of children were screened using an arithmetic fluency test for dyscalculia and a reading fluency test for dyslexia. Their comorbidity rates were assessed. The prevalence rates of dyscalculia, dyslexia, comorbidity, and isolated dyscalculia/dyslexia (ie, participants with comorbid dyslexia and dyscalculia were excluded) were analyzed.
RESULTS
In both -1.5 SD and -1 SD cutoff criterion, the prevalence rates were about two times higher in children with idiopathic epilepsy than in other schoolchildren; the prevalence rates of isolated dyslexia were higher in children with idiopathic epilepsy than in other schoolchildren (-1 SD: 10.9% vs 8.6%; -1.5 SD: 6.5% vs 4.7%). Meanwhile, comorbidity rates of dyscalculia and dyslexia were higher in children with idiopathic epilepsy than in other schoolchildren (32.7% vs 26.6%; 38.3% vs 23.5%, respectively). Overall, patterns of prevalence rates were different for children with idiopathic epilepsy and schoolchildren, in which children with idiopathic epilepsy had a higher prevalence rate of dyscalculia than dyslexia, while schoolchildren had a higher prevalence of dyslexia than dyscalculia, regardless of cutoff criteria. Interestingly, gender differences in the prevalence rates of all types of learning disabilities were found in schoolchildren, but there were only gender differences in the prevalence rates of dyslexia in children with idiopathic epilepsy.
SIGNIFICANCE
The results highlight the vulnerability of children with idiopathic epilepsy for learning disabilities and a differential pattern of gender differences in dyslexia. Moreover, different patterns of prevalence rates suggest that children with idiopathic epilepsy and schoolchildren are more prone to different types of learning disabilities. The findings suggest needs for special interventions of learning disabilities for children with idiopathic epilepsy.
Topics: Child; China; Comorbidity; Dyscalculia; Dyslexia; Epilepsy; Humans; Prevalence; Sex Factors
PubMed: 35007403
DOI: 10.1002/epi4.12577 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2022Dyslexia is a disorder characterized by an impaired ability to understand written and printed words or phrases. Epidemiological longitudinal data show that dyslexia is... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Dyslexia is a disorder characterized by an impaired ability to understand written and printed words or phrases. Epidemiological longitudinal data show that dyslexia is highly prevalent, affecting 10-20% of the population regardless of gender. This study aims to provide a detailed overview of research status and development characteristics of dyslexia from types of articles, years, countries, institutions, journals, authors, author keywords, and highly cited papers. A total of 9,166 publications have been retrieved from the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) and Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-E) from 2000 to 2021. The United States of America, United Kingdom, and Germany were the top three most productive countries in terms of the number of publications. China, Israel, and Japan led the Asia research on dyslexia. University of Oxford had the most publications and won first place in terms of h-index. was the most productive journal in this field and Psychology was the most used subject category. Keywords analysis indicated that "developmental dyslexia," "phonological awareness," children and fMRI were still the main research topics. "Literacy," "rapid automatized naming (RAN)," "assessment," "intervention," "meta-analysis," "Chinese," "executive function," "morphological awareness," "decoding," "dyscalculia," "EEG," "Eye tracking," "rhythm," "bilingualism," and "functional connectivity" might become the new research hotspots.
Topics: Asia; Bibliometrics; Child; China; Dyslexia; Humans; United Kingdom; United States
PubMed: 35812514
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.915053