Maths and Executive Functions in the Developing Brain

Large volumes of research showing that executive functions (thinking skills including working memory, inhibitory control, and flexible thinking) are related to development of mathematical skill, both concurrently and longitudinally. Yet we still know very little about why this might be, and how these changes are reflected in brain activity. Both skills show distinct patterns of neural development throughout early childhood, yet the relationship between them remains unclear, particularly in children at greater risk for poor outcomes. In the current study we explore whether changes in brain connectivity measured through EEG coherence are similar across executive function and mathematics tasks, and how connectivity patterns change with age. We recorded electroencephalography (EEG) data while adults, 4-year-olds, and 6-year-olds were completing a series of executive function and mathematics tasks in the lab. Preliminary results suggest that changes in coherence between frontal regions (associated with development of executive functions) and parietal regions (activated during numeracy tasks) during a magnitude comparison task are correlated with performance on a working memory task. These findings suggest that improving behavioural performance on executive function tasks could be a function of changing patterns of connectivity in the brain, and increased localised processing with age. To diversify the pool of children taking part, we have recently taken our study out of the lab to visit schools. This data collection is ongoing, but I will talk about some of the advantages and challenges of travelling with an EEG kit, and our experiences of collecting data in schools. Our results have important implications for our understanding of how changing patterns of brain connectivity support both the development of numeracy and executive functioning in early primary school.