title: Number processing after stroke: anatomoclinical correlations in oral and written codes.
abstract: Calculation and number-processing abilities were studied in 49 patients with chronic single vascular brain lesions by means of a standardized multitask assessment battery (EC301), as well as through other tasks, testing functions thought to be implicated in calculation such as language, visuo-perceptive abilities, verbal and spatial working memory, planning, and attention. The results show that (1) lesions involving parietal areas-particularly left parietal lesions-are prone to alter calculation processing. A more detailed analysis showed that patients with lesions involving left parietal areas were impaired in both digital (i.e., comprehension and production of numbers written in Arabic code) and oral (i.e., comprehension and production of numbers heard or expressed orally) processing while lesions involving right parietal areas lead to an impairment in digital processing only. However, linguistically related alphanumerical processing (i.e., comprehension and production of numbers written orthographically) was not influenced by parietal lesions. (2) Semantic representations (knowledge of the magnitude related to a given number) as well as rote arithmetical knowledge are also impaired following damage to parietal and particularly left parietal lesions, suggesting that these areas are also implicated in magnitude comparisons and in the retrieval of arithmetical facts. (3) Performance in calculation is highly correlated with language. (4) Moreover, we found a highly significant correlation between performances in oral calculation and verbal working memory, and between written-digit calculation and visuospatial working memory. Performances in regard to visuo-perceptive abilities, planning, and attention were less consistently correlated with calculation. These results stress the close correlation, but relative independence between calculation and language, as well as a dissociated sensitivity of oral and digital processing to brain lesions.
authors: Neuropsychology Unit, Neurological Clinic, Geneva University Hospital, Switzerland. eugene.mayer@hcuge.ch
authors: Eugène
authors: E
authors: Mayer
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Reicherts
authors: Gérard
authors: G
authors: Deloche
authors: Lucia
authors: L
authors: Willadino-Braga
authors: Irène
authors: I
authors: Taussik
authors: Monique
authors: M
authors: Dordain
authors: Martial
authors: M
authors: Van der Linden
authors: Jean-Marie
authors: JM
authors: Annoni
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001288:Attention; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D008875:Middle Aged; D019303:Multilingualism; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000293:injuries / Q000503:physiopathology; D011340:Problem Solving; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012660:Semantics; D013028:Space Perception; D014705:Verbal Behavior; D014894:Weights and Measures; D014956:Writing