Is there an innate sense of number in the brain?

Cerebral Cortex, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 35(2)

Published: Jan. 9, 2025

The approximate number system or «sense of number» is a crucial, presymbolic mechanism enabling animals to estimate quantities, which essential for survival in various contexts (eg estimating numerosities social companions, prey, predators, and so on). Behavioral studies indicate that sense widespread across vertebrates invertebrates. Specific brain regions such as the intraparietal sulcus prefrontal cortex primates, equivalent areas birds fish, are involved numerical estimation, their activity modulated by ratio quantities. Data gathered species strongly suggest similar evolutionary pressures estimation pointing likely common origin, at least vertebrates. On other hand, few have investigated origins number. Recent findings, however, shown numerosity-selective neurons exist newborn animals, domestic chicks zebrafish, supporting hypothesis an innateness system. Control-rearing experiments on visually naïve further support notion innate does not need any specific instructive experience order be triggered.

Language: Английский

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The origins of number sense: a commentary on “Is there an innate sense of number in the brain?”

Cerebral Cortex, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 35(2)

Published: Feb. 1, 2025

Abstract The question of whether a “sense number” is innate has been posed in new article by Lorenzi et al. (2025). explores the behavioral and neurobiological evidence from newborn animals to delve into evolutionary origins sense number. al.(2025) raises questions, interpretations, ideas for future work understand how number evolved humans nonhuman animals. In this commentary, I discuss arguments an sense, evaluate implications numerical cognition, suggest could fill current gaps our knowledge.

Language: Английский

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Does the Brain Care Which Direction We Read? A Cross‐Cultural tDCS Study on Functional Lateralization of Number Processing

Brain and Behavior, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 15(3)

Published: March 1, 2025

The potential influence of culture on functional lateralization was rarely investigated, yet it may be an important factor in our understanding the human brain. In numerical processing, evidence found for differential directional preferences space-number associations cultures with opposite reading direction systems. This affect finger-counting like starting hand, which turn have previously been associated differing lateralization. Such studies raise question whether number also play a distinct role intraparietal sulcus (IPS), hallmark region magnitude processing. preregistered cross-cultural study, we applied anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over left versus right IPS to investigate effect as compared sham Iranians (with right-to-left system) and Germans left-to-right system). Results indicated no overall stimulation; however, exploratory analyses revealed that tDCS facilitated processing after controlling training effects. Finger-counting not decisive this effect. At end, might bilaterally represented IPS; emphasize need further investigation representations numbers.

Language: Английский

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Neural Basis of Number Sense in Larval Zebrafish

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Sept. 1, 2024

Number sense, the ability to discriminate quantity of objects, is crucial for survival. To understand how neurons work together and develop mediate number we used two-photon fluorescence light sheet microscopy capture activity individual throughout brain larval

Language: Английский

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