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Behavioral and Brain Functions
Published in: Behavioral and Brain Functions 1/2010

Open Access 01-12-2010 | Research

Categorical and continuous - disentangling the neural correlates of the carry effect in multi-digit addition

Authors: Elise Klein, Klaus Willmes, Katharina Dressel, Frank Domahs, Guilherme Wood, Hans-Christoph Nuerk, Korbinian Moeller

Published in: Behavioral and Brain Functions | Issue 1/2010

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Abstract

Background

Recently it was suggested that the carry effect observed in addition involves both categorical and continuous processing characteristics.

Methods

In the present study, we aimed at identifying the specific neural correlates associated with processing either categorical or continuous aspects of the carry effect in an fMRI study on multi-digit addition.

Results

In line with our expectations, we observed two distinct parts of the fronto-parietal network subserving numerical cognition to be associated with either one of these two characteristics. On the one hand, the categorical aspect of the carry effect was associated with left-hemispheric language areas and the basal ganglia probably reflecting increased demands on procedural and problem solving processes. Complementarily, the continuous aspect of the carry effect was associated with increased intraparietal activation indicating increasing demands on magnitude processing as well as place-value integration with increasing unit sum.

Conclusions

In summary, the findings suggest representations and processes underlying the carry effect in multi-digit addition to be more complex and interactive than assumed previously.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
Categorical and continuous - disentangling the neural correlates of the carry effect in multi-digit addition
Authors
Elise Klein
Klaus Willmes
Katharina Dressel
Frank Domahs
Guilherme Wood
Hans-Christoph Nuerk
Korbinian Moeller
Publication date
01-12-2010
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Behavioral and Brain Functions / Issue 1/2010
Electronic ISSN: 1744-9081
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1744-9081-6-70

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