Your Brain on Math

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is being utilized in a variety of domains to understand brain function.

This tool provides for opportunities to study normal as well as exceptional performance in cognitive skills.

This opportunity is demonstrated in a recent study of fMRI in professional mathematicians.

While contemplating complex mathematical problems, these mathematicians activated a brain circuitry region known as the dorsal frontoparietal network.

This network also appears to be activated by expose to visual mathematical cues like seeing numbers or mathematical formulas. It also appears to be present in non-mathematically trained individuals attending to math cues.

This network appears to have an element of being "hard-wired" as it is present in children prior to math training.

This dorsal frontoparietal network is distinct from the networks involved in language. 

See the description of this study at ScienceDaily HERE.

Figure of brain networks is an iPad screenshot by author using the app 3D View.

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