Project 170534

Most of us deal with numbers efficiently, oftentimes without being aware of it. A good example is reading a newspaper article. In the process of doing so, you will encounter several pieces of numerical information, such as dates, the number of people involved in a given incident, a statistic to illustrate a particular point etc. While the majority of us will process and integrate this numerical information seamlessly, there exist a substantial percentage of individuals whose intelligence is in the normal range, but who struggle with even the most basic numerical and mathematical information and problems. These individuals are said to have Developmental Dyscalculia. This specific difficulty with numbers and math presents a significant impairment to educational, social and professional development. In stark contrast to the wide body of work on the causes and symptoms of Developmental Dyslexia (specific difficulty with reading), there currently exists only a few research studies which have investigated the behavioural and brain-level characteristics of Developmental Dyscalculia. The aim of my program of research is to provide insights into the neural and behavioural roots of this disorder, in an effort to inform the design, implementation and evaluation of research-based intervention tools. More specifically, through a series of three research projects, my research lab will use brain imaging techniques to investigate a.) how individual differences in mathematical competence among typically developing children relate to brain activation and structure b.) how the brain activation and structure of children with Developmental Dyscalculia differ from children with normal mathematical skills, and c.) to understand the relationship between developmental difficulties in reading and mathematics, that is, how Dyscalculia and Dyslexia differ in terms of brain structure and function and how these groups differ from children who have both Developmental Dyscalculia and Dyslexia

using brain imaging to investigate relationship between mathematical competence and brain structure/function in developmental disorders