EEG Correlates of Mental Tasks and Mathematical Skills: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Mathematical skills are given close attention in many studies of the neurophysiological foundations of mathematical thinking. The study aimed to search for electrophysiological (EEG) features of brain activity accompanied mental operations during solving verbal, arithmetic, and logical tasks in participants with in-depth mathematical or humanitarian education. Within-subject analysis showed reliable differences in beta and alpha rhythm power for all three types of tasks. Power spectral density of theta rhythm at frontal-central areas was higher in participants with advanced math education than in participants with basic school education in math. These differences were observed during the arithmetic task solving and in resting-state EEG. Our results suggest that EEG patterns may reflect the type of mental operations and a level of mathematical skills.

Note:
Funding Information: The article was prepared within the state assignment of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation for IHNA&NPh RAS.

Declaration of Interests: None.

Ethics Approval Statement: Each participant provided written informed consent to participate in the study. The study protocol met the requirements of the Helsinki Declaration and was approved by the ethical commission of the Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology Russian Academy of Science.

Keywords: brain, EEG, power spectral density, mathematical skills, cognitive tasks