The neural signature of numerosity by separating numerical and continuous magnitude extraction in visual cortex with frequency-tagged EEG.
| Title: | The neural signature of numerosity by separating numerical and continuous magnitude extraction in visual cortex with frequency-tagged EEG. |
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| Authors: | Van Rinsveld A; Center for Research in Cognition and Neurosciences, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), B-1050 Bruxelles, Belgium; am.vanrinsveld@gmail.com.; Guillaume M; Center for Research in Cognition and Neurosciences, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), B-1050 Bruxelles, Belgium.; Kohler PJ; Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305.; Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada.; Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada.; Schiltz C; Institute of Cognitive Science and Assessment, Education, Culture, Cognition and Society Research Unit, University of Luxembourg, L-4366 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg.; Gevers W; Center for Research in Cognition and Neurosciences, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), B-1050 Bruxelles, Belgium.; Content A; Center for Research in Cognition and Neurosciences, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), B-1050 Bruxelles, Belgium. |
| Source: | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America [Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A] 2020 Mar 17; Vol. 117 (11), pp. 5726-5732. Date of Electronic Publication: 2020 Mar 02. |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: National Academy of Sciences Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 7505876 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1091-6490 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00278424 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: Washington, DC : National Academy of Sciences |
| MeSH Terms: | Mathematics*; Electroencephalography/*methods ; Visual Cortex/*physiology; Adult ; Cognition ; Female ; Humans ; Male |
| Abstract: | The ability to handle approximate quantities, or number sense, has been recurrently linked to mathematical skills, although the nature of the mechanism allowing to extract numerical information (i.e., numerosity) from environmental stimuli is still debated. A set of objects is indeed not only characterized by its numerosity but also by other features, such as the summed area occupied by the elements, which often covary with numerosity. These intrinsic relations between numerosity and nonnumerical magnitudes led some authors to argue that numerosity is not independently processed but extracted through a weighting of continuous magnitudes. This view cannot be properly tested through classic behavioral and neuroimaging approaches due to these intrinsic correlations. The current study used a frequency-tagging EEG approach to separately measure responses to numerosity as well as to continuous magnitudes. We recorded occipital responses to numerosity, total area, and convex hull changes but not to density and dot size. We additionally applied a model predicting primary visual cortex responses to the set of stimuli. The model output was closely aligned with our electrophysiological data, since it predicted discrimination only for numerosity, total area, and convex hull. Our findings thus demonstrate that numerosity can be independently processed at an early stage in the visual cortex, even when completely isolated from other magnitude changes. The similar implicit discrimination for numerosity as for some continuous magnitudes, which correspond to basic visual percepts, shows that both can be extracted independently, hence substantiating the nature of numerosity as a primary feature of the visual scene.; (Copyright © 2020 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.) |
| Competing Interests: | The authors declare no competing interest. |
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| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: fast periodic visual stimulation; nonsymbolic mathematical abilities; numerical cognition; numerosity extraction; quantities |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20200304 Date Completed: 20200703 Latest Revision: 20200703 |
| Update Code: | 20260130 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC7084102 |
| DOI: | 10.1073/pnas.1917849117 |
| PMID: | 32123113 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't