title: Behavior and neuroimaging at baseline predict individual response to combined mathematical and working memory training in children.
abstract: Mathematical performance is highly correlated with several general cognitive abilities, including working memory (WM) capacity. Here we investigated the effect of numerical training using a number-line (NLT), WM training (WMT), or the combination of the two on a composite score of mathematical ability. The aim was to investigate if the combination contributed to the outcome, and determine if baseline performance or neuroimaging predict the magnitude of improvement. We randomly assigned 308, 6-year-old children to WMT, NLT, WMT+NLT or a control intervention. Overall, there was a significant effect of NLT but not WMT. The WMT+NLT was the only group that improved significantly more than the controls, although the interaction NLTxWM was non-significant. Higher WM and maths performance predicted larger benefits for WMT and NLT, respectively. Neuroimaging at baseline also contributed significant information about training gain. Different individuals showed as much as a three-fold difference in their responses to the same intervention. These results show that the impact of an intervention is highly dependent on individual characteristics of the child. If differences in responses could be used to optimize the intervention for each child, future interventions could be substantially more effective.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Retzius Väg 8, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nemmi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Retzius Väg 8, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Elin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Helander
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Mathematics Education, University of Gothenburg, Box 160, 40530 Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ola
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Helenius
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Retzius Väg 8, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Box 1225, 75142, Sweden.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hassler
authors.affiliation: Niilo Mäki Institute, Jyväskylä, Asemakatu 4, 40100, Finland.
authors.forename: Pekka
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Räsänen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Retzius Väg 8, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: torkel.klingberg@ki.se.
authors.forename: Torkel
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Klingberg
mesh_terms: D001076:Aptitude / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics / Q000379:methods*; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology; D059906:Neuroimaging / Q000379:methods*; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011897:Random Allocation; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D011932:Reading
keywords: Behavior prediction; Cognitive training; Educational neuroscience; Training personalization