title: [Contributions of neuroscience to the learning of numerical abilities].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mathematic difficulties are relatively frequent at school. With some frequency they appear associated to other troubles and learning disorders, thus provoking anxiety feelings in children. In case of not intervening on such difficulties their consequences may be extended until adulthood. Despite that, their intervention has not been widely administered, notably in the educational ambit. The main reason is that there is not a unique definition, which makes their detection not easy. However, some of the recent advances in neuroscience could improve this situation.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To review and summarize the main contributions provided by the neuroimaging techniques to the learning of numerical abilities and their difficulties, and how these techniques could be useful to intervene on the educational practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  The ample advances of the neuroimaging techniques have allowed us the access to relevant information regarding the brain areas underlying each numerical task at childhood and at adulthood, and that made possible the design of intervention programs addressed to improve children' learning when there are any numerical difficulties. Some of the results obtained after the administration of these programs are positive, but they are not very generalizable yet.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the future it should be expanded the use of neuroimaging techniques in order to implement the explanation of learning processes and detecting areas that, in case of not being correctly activated, could lead to any mathematic difficulties. Ultimately, research supported by these techniques should assist the development of programs devoted to intervene on mathematics in the educational field.
authors.affiliation: Universidad de Zaragoza, 50013 Zaragoza, Espana.
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gracia-Bafalluy
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Escolano-Pérez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral; D060705:Dyscalculia / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D004519:Education, Special / Q000379:methods; D005544:Forecasting; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008433:Mathematics / Q000193:education; D008959:Models, Neurological; D059906:Neuroimaging; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology