title: The differential role of verbal and spatial working memory in the neural basis of arithmetic.
abstract: We examine the relations of verbal and spatial working memory (WM) ability to the neural bases of arithmetic in school-age children. We independently localize brain regions subserving verbal versus spatial representations. For multiplication, higher verbal WM ability is associated with greater recruitment of the left temporal cortex, identified by the verbal localizer. For multiplication and subtraction, higher spatial WM ability is associated with greater recruitment of right parietal cortex, identified by the spatial localizer. Depending on their WM ability, children engage different neural systems that manipulate different representations to solve arithmetic problems.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders , Northwestern University , Evanston , Illinois.
authors.forename: Özlem Ece
authors.initials: ÖE
authors.lastname: Demir
authors.forename: Jérôme
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Prado
authors.forename: James R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Booth
mesh_terms: D001931:Brain Mapping; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D055641:Mathematical Concepts; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000502:physiology*; D011581:Psychological Tests; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000502:physiology*; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000502:physiology*