What's Behind a "+" Sign? Perceiving an Arithmetic Operator Recruits Brain Circuits for Spatial Orienting

Article Article scientifique Article What's Behind a "+" Sign? Perceiving an Arithmetic Operator Recruits Brain Circuits for Spatial Orienting eng 2018-05-01 author Mathieu Romain Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5304, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Lyon 1, Bron, France.,Faculté de Psychologie et des Sciences de l'Education, Université de Genève, 1205 Genève, Switzerland. 820309 author Epinat-Duclos Justine Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5304, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Lyon 1, Bron, France. author Sigovan Monica Laboratoire CREATIS, Université Lyon 1, CNRS/INSERM, INSA-Lyon & HCL, Lyon, France. author Breton Audrey Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5304, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Lyon 1, Bron, France. author Cheylus Anne Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5304, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Lyon 1, Bron, France. author Fayol Michel Clermont II & CNRS, UFR de Psychologie, LAPSCO, Université Blaise Pascal, 63037 Clermont-Ferrand, France. author Thevenot Catherine Institut de Psychologie, Université de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland. author Prado Jérôme Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5304, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Lyon 1, Bron, France. 1673-1684 10.1093/cercor/bhx064 28334293 1047-3211 Do mathematical symbols evoke spatial representations? Although behavioral studies have long demonstrated interactions between space and the processing of Arabic digits, how to interpret these results remains controversial. Here, we tested whether activity in regions supporting spatial processing contributes to the processing of symbols conveying fundamental arithmetic concepts-such as operation signs-even in the absence of associated digits. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we show that merely perceiving a "+" sign triggers activity in brain regions that support the orienting of spatial attention in adults. Activity in these regions was greater for "+" than for "×" signs, indicating that it is modulated by whether an operator reflects an operation that evokes numerical manipulation (rather than rote memorization). Finally, the degree to which subjects activated a spatial region in response to a "+" sign was correlated with the degree to which subjects benefited from being briefly presented with that sign before having to calculate a single-digit addition problem, an effect termed operator-priming. Therefore, not only are some arithmetic operators linked to spatial intuitions, but such intuitions might also have an important role during arithmetic calculation. More generally, our findings support the view that mathematical symbols inherently evoke spatial representations. Open Access - Licence nationale Oxford University Press Adolescent Adult Attention / physiology Brain / diagnostic imaging Brain / physiology Brain Mapping Female Functional Laterality Humans Image Processing, Computer-Assisted Magnetic Resonance Imaging Male Mathematics Neural Pathways / diagnostic imaging Neural Pathways / physiology Oxygen / blood Pattern Recognition, Visual / physiology Space Perception / physiology Young Adult Dewey 370 109 Section des sciences de l'éducation 72 false Cerebral cortex 28 5 feaf2f12-49fd-4289-ad7a-77edc44c2f9b Article (Published version) Public Article-scientifique-from-unpaywall.pdf 520825 application/pdf OA NATIONAL b808bc8724949f8ef51c00cd73f7ff220543eb7ae3eaea22ef59a0537a504fd8 openAccess Faculté de psychologie et des sciences de l'éducation / Section des sciences de l'éducation

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What's Behind a "+" Sign? Perceiving an Arithmetic Operator Recruits Brain Circuits for Spatial Orienting	Cerebral cortex			2018	63	65

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