Functional Neuroanatomy of Simple Mental Arithmetic and Multiplication Tables Repetition: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

摘要

In this study, we used 1.5T functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to explore that which brain areas contribute uniquely to numeric computation. The BOLD effect activation pattern of actual calculation task (successive subtraction: metal arithmetic task) was compared with multiplication tables repetition task (rote verbal arithmetic memory task) response. The experiment demonstrated on twelve right-handed volunteers during multi-slice echo-planar T2* weighted fMRI. As a post processing procedure, statistical parametric mapping (SPM) 99 software was used to examine the statistical significant. We found the activation pattern in left superior, middle frontal and both side of parietal lobule (P<0.001, T>7.39, Z>7.25) during successive subtraction task however, in the multiplication tables repetition task, the activations were discerned in left superior and middle frontal, left inferior parietal lobule and Broca's area (P<0.001, T>4.83, Z>4.78). A plain quantitative difference in activation patterns between subtraction task and multiplication tables repetition task was also found. The right parietal lobule activation in metal arithmetic task suggested that quantity cognition or numeric computation need the assistance of spatial cognition, such as spatial imagination and spatial sensuous convert. In addition, there may be an 'analog algorism' in the simple mental arithmetic processing.