Project description
Understanding how the brain learns maths
Mathematics is important, yet not everyone learns it the same way. Some people struggle with it more than others. The journey towards numerical fluency is a complex and protracted one, with early developmental stages playing a crucial role in shaping future mathematical abilities. However, the neural underpinnings of these early stages and the reasons for differences between individuals remain elusive. In this context, the ERC-funded MATHWAVES project aims to decode the secrets of the brain. Through cutting-edge techniques like magnetoencephalography, the project tracks the subtle shifts in brain function, unravelling the essence of mathematical cognition. The findings will not only shed light on human learning, but also lay the groundwork for transformative diagnostic and remedial strategies.
Objective
Mathematical thinking is one of the most remarkable human cognitive abilities, but unfortunately, not all individuals are equal concerning those abilities. Becoming numerate is a long-lasting learning process in which the early stages are of paramount importance to ensure positive future outcomes. However, the neural bases supporting these early abilities and the path to inter-individual differences remain elusive. MATHWAVES aims at understanding the neural mechanisms supporting the emergence of the early steps of mathematical learning. First, a longitudinal framework will test whether the developmental trajectory of audio-visual integration of numerical formats is the gateway to mathematical abstraction. Second, cross-sectional comparisons will assess the balance between brain networks engaged in efficient implicit and explicit numerical processing. Third, we will investigate whether mathematical learning is associated with brain plasticity at different times-scales: the slow changes across development vs. the short-term changes while processing numbers. We will highlight the developmental changes in long-lasting or transient properties of the brain’s functional organization that explain the fluctuations in mathematical abilities within and across individuals. Through a novel combination of frequency-based and functional connectivity approaches implemented in magnetoencephalography, MATHWAVES will dynamically track early mathematical learning and neuroplastic changes associated with the emergence of those abilities. Characterizing the neurocognitive mechanisms of early mathematical learning at different timescales represents a complete paradigm shift that is imperative to understand learning dynamics at the onset of human mathematical thinking and individual differences. MATHWAVES tackles the broader question of how learning reshapes the developing brain and enables several groundbreaking new avenues for research, but also future diagnosis and remedial techniques.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2022-STG
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1050 Bruxelles / Brussel
Belgium
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