Review
BibTex RIS Cite

Sayı Algısından Matematik Anksiyetesine: Nörogörüntüleme Bulguları Işığında Bir Bakış

Year 2026, Volume: 79 Issue: 1, 118 - 129, 27.03.2026
https://doi.org/10.65092/autfm.1789710
https://izlik.org/JA69TH66PH

Abstract

Bu derleme çalışmasında sayı algısının matematiksel yeteneklerin gelişimindeki rolü ve matematik anksiyetesinin nöral temelleri nörogörüntüleme bulguları ışığında incelenmiştir. Sayı algısı, çekirdek sayı sistemi ve sembole erişim sistemi gibi bilişsel alt yapılara dayanır ve beynin fronto-paryetal bölgelerinde temsil edilir. Matematik performansındaki bireysel farklılıklar; genel bilişsel faktörlerin yanı sıra sayı işleme, matematik kavram bilgisi ve matematik anksiyetesi gibi özel bilişsel faktörlerden etkilenir. Matematik anksiyetesinin sayısal görevler sırasında ortaya çıkan olumsuz duygusal tepkiler nedeniyle çalışma belleğini sınırlayarak performansı olumsuz etkileyebileceği düşünülmektedir. Nörogörüntüleme çalışmaları matematik anksiyetesi yüksek bireylerde amigdala, insula ve fronto-paryetal ağda işlevsel ve yapısal farklılaşmalar olduğunu göstermiştir. Bununla birlikte; matematik anksiyetesi ilişkili nöral farklılaşmaların eğitim, pratik ve emosyonel düzenleme müdahaleleri ile değişebileceği bulunmuştur. Matematik anksiyetesi ile sayı işleme süreçleri arasındaki ilişkilerin daha iyi anlaşılması, sayısal performansı artırmaya yönelik pratik ve eğitim temelli uygulama stratejilerinin geliştirilmesine katkı sağlayabilir.

References

  • Cantlon JF. Math, monkeys, and the developing brain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012;109:10725–10732.
  • Dehaene S, Dehaene-Lambertz G, Cohen L. Abstract representations of numbers in the animal and human brain. Trends Neurosci. 1998;21(8):355–361.
  • Starr A, Libertus ME, Brannon EM. Number sense in infancy predicts mathematical abilities in childhood. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013;110(45):18116–18120.
  • Starkey P, Cooper RG. Perception of numbers by human infants. Science 1980;210(4473):1033–1035.
  • Ferrigno S, Jara-Ettinger J, Piantadosi ST, et al. Universal and uniquely human factors in spontaneous number perception. Nat Commun. 2017;8:1–10.
  • Pica P, Lemer C, Izard V, et al. Exact and approximate arithmetic in an Amazonian indigene group. Science. 2004;306(5695):499–503.
  • Feigenson L, Dehaene S, Spelke E. Core systems of number. Trends Cogn Sci. 2004;8(7):307–314.
  • Kaufman EL, Lord MW, Reese TW, et al. The discrimination of visual number. Am J Psychol. 1949;62:498–525.
  • Mandler G, Shebo BJ. Subitizing: An analysis of its component processes. J Exp Psychol Gen. 1982;111(1):1–22.
  • Nieder A. Counting on neurons: The neurobiology of numerical competence. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2005;6(3):177–190.
  • Von Aster MG, Shalev RS. Number development and developmental dyscalculia. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2007;49(11):868–873.
  • Gebuis T, Reynvoet B. Number Representations and Their Relation with Mathematical Ability. In: Kadosh RC, Dowker A, editors. The Oxford Handbook of Numerical Cognition. Great Clarendon Street, Oxford, ox2 6dp, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press; 2015. p. 333–335.
  • Üstün S, Ayyıldız N, Vatansever G, et al. Neural Foundations of Number Sense and Dyscalculia. J Ankara Univ Fac Med. 2019;72(3):254–261.
  • Piazza M, Izard V, Pinel P, et al. Tuning curves for approximate numerosity in the human intraparietal sulcus. Neuron. 2004;44(3):547–555.
  • Lyons IM, Vogel SE, Ansari D. On the ordinality of numbers: A review of neural and behavioral studies. Prog Brain Res. 2016;227:187-221.
  • Delazer M, Butterworth B. A Dissociation of Number Meanings. Cogn Neuropsychol. 1997;14(4):613–636.
  • Turconi E, Seron X. Dissociation between order and quantity meaning in a patient with Gerstmann syndrome. Cortex. 2002;38(5):911–914.
  • Schneider M, Grabner RH, Paetsch J. Mental Number Line, Number Line Estimation, and Mathematical Achievement: Their Interrelations in Grades 5 and 6. J Educ Psychol. 2009;101(2):359–372.
  • Dehaene S. The Number Sense: How the Mind Creates Mathematics. New York: Oxford University Press; 1997.
  • Dehaene S, Bossini S, Giraux P. The Mental Representation of Parity and Number Magnitude Access to Parity and Magnitude Knowledge During Number Processing. J Exp Psychol Gen. 1993;122(3):371–396.
  • van Oeffelen MP, Vos PG. A probabilistic model for the discrimination of visual number. Percept Psychophys. 1982;32(2):163–170.
  • Dehaene S. Précis of the number sense. Mind Lang. 2001;16(1):16–36.
  • Lyons IM, Beilock SL. Numerical ordering ability mediates the relation between number-sense and arithmetic competence. Cognition. 2011;121(2):256–261.
  • Menon V, Rivera SM, White CD, et al. Dissociating prefrontal and parietal cortex activation during arithmetic processing. Neuroimage. 2000;12(4):357–365.
  • Sawamura H, Shima K, Tanji J. Numerical representation for action in the parietal cortex of the monkey. Nature. 2002;415(6874):918–922.
  • Lemer C, Dehaene S, Spelke E, et al. Approximate quantities and exact number words: Dissociable systems. Neuropsychologia. 2003;41(14):1942–1958.
  • Simon O, Mangin JF, Cohen L, et al. Topographical layout of hand, eye, calculation, and language-related areas in the human parietal lobe. Neuron. 2002;33(3):475–487.
  • Matejko AA, Ansari D. The neural association between arithmetic and basic numerical processing depends on arithmetic problem size and not chronological age. Dev Cogn Neurosci. 2019;37:1-14.
  • Ansari D, Lyons IM, Van Eimeren L, et al. Linking visual attention and number processing in the brain: The role of the temporo-parietal junction in small and large symbolic and nonsymbolic number comparison. J Cogn Neurosci. 2007;19(11):1845–1853.
  • Artemenko C, Moeller K, Huber S, et al. Differential influences of unilateral tDCS over the intraparietal cortex on numerical cognition. Front Hum Neurosci. 2015;9.
  • Ayyıldız N, Beyer F, Üstün S, et al. Changes in the superior longitudinal fasciculus and anterior thalamic radiation in the left brain are associated with developmental dyscalculia. Front Hum Neurosci. 2023;17:1–15.
  • Isaacs EB, Edmonds CJ, Lucas A, et al. Calculation difficulties in children of very low birthweight: A neural correlate. Brain. 2001;124(9):1701–1707.
  • Price GR, Holloway I, Räsänen P, et al. Impaired parietal magnitude processing in developmental dyscalculia. Curr Biol. 2007;17(24):1042–1043.
  • Dehaene S, Piazza M, Pinel P, et al. Three parietal circuits for number processing. Cogn Neuropsychol. 2003;20(3–6):487–506.
  • Arsalidou M, Taylor MJ. Is 2+2=4? Meta-analyses of brain areas needed for numbers and calculations. Neuroimage. 2011;54(3):2382–2393.
  • Hawes Z, Sokolowski HM, Ononye CB, et al. Neural underpinnings of numerical and spatial cognition: An fMRI meta-analysis of brain regions associated with symbolic number, arithmetic, and mental rotation. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2019;103:316–336.
  • Nieder A, Freedman DJ, Miller EK. Representation of the quantity of visual items in the primate prefrontal cortex. Science. 2002;297(5587):1708–1711.
  • Nieder A, Miller EK. A parieto-frontal network for visual numerical information in the monkey. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004;101(19):7457–7462.
  • Arsalidou M, Pawliw-Levac M, Sadeghi M, et al. Brain areas associated with numbers and calculations in children: Meta-analyses of fMRI studies. Dev Cogn Neurosci. 2018;30:239–250.
  • Sokolowski HM, Fias W, Mousa A, et al. Common and distinct brain regions in both parietal and frontal cortex support symbolic and nonsymbolic number processing in humans: A functional neuroimaging meta-analysis. Neuroimage. 2017;146:376–394.
  • Emerson RW, Cantlon JF. Early math achievement and functional connectivity in the fronto-parietal network. Dev Cogn Neurosci. 2012;2:139–151.
  • Tsang JM, Dougherty RF, Deutsch GK, et al. Frontoparietal white matter diffusion properties predict mental arithmetic skills in children. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009;106(52):22546–22551.
  • Van Eimeren L, Niogi SN, McCandliss BD, et al. White matter microstructures underlying mathematical abilities in children. Neuroreport. 2008;19(11):1117–1121.
  • Wen X, Yao L, Liu Y, et al. Causal interactions in attention networks predict behavioral performance. J Neurosci. 2012;32(4):1284–1292.
  • Ansari D, Garcia N, Lucas E, et al. Neural correlates of symbolic number processing in children and adults. Neuroreport. 2005;16(16):1769–1773.
  • Üstün S, Ayyıldız N, Kale EH, et al. Children With Dyscalculia Show Hippocampal Hyperactivity During Symbolic Number Perception. Front Hum Neurosci. 2021;15:1–13.
  • Menon V. A neurodevelopmental perspective on the role of memory systems in children’s math learning. In: In: Berch, DB.Geary, DC., Mann Koepke K, editor. Development of Mathematical Cognition-Neural Substrates and Genetic Influences. United States: Elsevier Science Publishing Co Inc.; 2015. p. 79–107.
  • Mock J, Huber S, Bloechle J, et al. Magnitude processing of symbolic and non-symbolic proportions: An fMRI study. Behav Brain Funct. 2018;14(1):1–19.
  • Nemmi F, Schel MA, Klingberg T. Connectivity of the human number form area reveals development of a cortical network for mathematics. Front Hum Neurosci. 2018;12:1–15.
  • Vatansever G, Üstün S, Ayyıldız N, et al. Developmental alterations of the numerical processing networks in the brain. Brain Cogn. 2020;141(2019).
  • Dehaene S, Molko N, Cohen L, et al. Arithmetic and the brain. Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2004;14(2):218–224.
  • Vogel SE, De Smedt B. Developmental brain dynamics of numerical and arithmetic abilities. NPJ Sci Learn. 2021;6(1):1–11.
  • Chen Q, Li J. Association between individual differences in non-symbolic number acuity and math performance: A meta-analysis. Acta Psychol. 2014;148:163–172.
  • Schneider M, Beeres K, Coban L, et al. Associations of non-symbolic and symbolic numerical magnitude processing with mathematical competence:a meta-analysis. Dev Sci. 2017;20(3):1–16.
  • Lyons IM, Price GR, Vaessen A, et al. Numerical predictors of arithmetic success in grades 1-6. Dev Sci. 2014;17(5):714–726.
  • Sommerauer G, Graß KH, Grabner RH, et al. The semantic control network mediates the relationship between symbolic numerical order processing and arithmetic performance in children. Neuropsychologia. 2020;141.
  • Tymofiyeva O, Gaschler R. Training-Induced Neural Plasticity in Youth: A Systematic Review of Structural and Functional MRI Studies. Front Hum Neurosci. 2021;14:1–24.
  • Ischebeck A, Zamarian L, Siedentopf C, et al. How specifically do we learn? Imaging the learning of multiplication and subtraction. Neuroimage. 2006;30(4):1365–1375.
  • Ischebeck A, Zamarian L, Schocke M, et al. Flexible transfer of knowledge in mental arithmetic - An fMRI study. Neuroimage. 2009;44(3):1103–1112.
  • Delazer M, Domahs F, Bartha L, et al. Learning complex arithmetic - An fMRI study. Brain Res Cogn Brain Res. 2003;18(1):76–88.
  • Sokolowski HM, Hawes Z, Ansari D. The neural correlates of retrieval and procedural strategies in mental arithmetic: A functional neuroimaging meta-analysis. Hum Brain Mapp. 2022;1–16.
  • Cantlon JF, Libertus ME, Pinel P, et al. The neural development of an abstract concept of number. J Cogn Neurosci. 2009;21(11):2217–2229.
  • Rivera SM, Reiss AL, Eckert MA, et al. Developmental changes in mental arithmetic: Evidence for increased functional specialization in the left inferior parietal cortex. Cereb Cortex. 2005;15(11):1779–1790.
  • Vogel SE, Goffin C, Ansari D. Developmental specialization of the left parietal cortex for the semantic representation of Arabic numerals: An fMR-adaptation study. Dev Cogn Neurosci. 2015;12(1):61–73.
  • Menon V. Memory and cognitive control circuits in mathematical cognition and learning. Prog Brain Res. 2016;227:159–186.
  • Lyons IM, Beilock SL. When Math Hurts: Math Anxiety Predicts Pain Network Activation in Anticipation of Doing Math. PLoS One. 2012;7(10).
  • Richardson FC, Suinn RM. The Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale: Psychometric data. Psychol Rep. 2003;92(1):167-173.
  • Dowker A, Sarkar A, Looi CY. Mathematics anxiety: What have we learned in 60 years? Front Psychol. 2016;7.
  • Cipora K, Santos FH, Kucian K, et al. Mathematics anxiety-where are we and where shall we go? Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2022;1–17.
  • Pizzie RG, Kraemer DJM. The Academic Anxiety Inventory: Evidence for dissociable patterns of anxiety related to math and other sources of academic stress. Front Psychol. 2019;9:1–20.
  • Maloney EA, Ansari D, Fugelsang JA. The effect of mathematics anxiety on the processing of numerical magnitude. Q J Exp Psychol. 2011;64(1):10–6.
  • Maldonado Moscoso PA, Castaldi E, Arrighi R, et al. Mathematics and Numerosity but Not Visuo-Spatial Working Memory Correlate with Mathematical Anxiety in Adults. Brain Sci. 2022;12(4).
  • Eidlin Levy H, Rubinsten O. Numbers (but not words) make math anxious individuals sweat: Physiological evidence. Biol Psychol. 2021;165:108187.
  • Ashcraft MH, Kirk EP. The relationships among working memory, math anxiety, and performance. J Exp Psychol Gen. 2001;130(2):224–237.
  • Ashcraft MH, Krause JA. Working memory, math performance, and math anxiety. Psychon Bull Rev. 2007;14(2):243–248.
  • Huber JF, Artemenko C. Anxiety-Related Difficulties with Complex Arithmetic: A Web-Based Replication of the Anxiety-Complexity Effect. Z Psychol. 2021;229(4):236–240.
  • Hopko DR, Ashcraft MH. Mathematics Anxiety and Working Memory: Support for the Existence of a Deficient Inhibition Mechanism. J Anxiety Disord. 1998;12(4):343–355.
  • Lyons IM, Beilock SL. Mathematics anxiety: Separating the math from the anxiety. Cereb Cortex. 2012;22(9):2102–2110.
  • Pletzer B, Kronbichler M, Nuerk HC, et al. Mathematics anxiety reduces default mode network deactivation in response to numerical tasks. Front Hum Neurosci. 2015;9:1–12.
  • Atabek O, Şavklıyıldız A, Orhon G, et al. The effect of anxiety on mathematical thinking: An fMRI study on 12th-grade students. Learn Motiv. 2022;77:101779.
  • Sarkar A, Dowker A, Kadosh RC. Cognitive enhancement or cognitive cost: Trait-specific outcomes of brain stimulation in the case of mathematics anxiety. J Neurosci. 2014;34(50):16605–16610.
  • Moustafa AA, Porter A, Megreya AM. Mathematics anxiety and cognition: An integrated neural network model. Rev Neurosci. 2020;31(3):287–296.
  • Young CB, Wu SS, Menon V. The Neurodevelopmental Basis of Math Anxiety. Psychol Sci. 2012;23(5):492–501.
  • Kucian K, McCaskey U, O’Gorman Tuura R, et al. Neurostructural correlate of math anxiety in the brain of children. Transl Psychiatry. 2018;8(1).
  • Hembree R. The Nature, Effects, and Relief of Mathematics Anxiety. J Res Math Educ. 1990;21(1):33–46.
  • Cui F, Liao X, Yang J, et al. The neural mechanism of the impact of mathematical anxiety on the math conceptual knowledge: Evidence from a resting-state fMRI study. Acta Psychol Sin. 2023;55(6):968–977.
  • Supekar K, Menon V. Developmental maturation of dynamic causal control signals in higher-order cognition: A neurocognitive network model. PLoS Comput Biol. 2012;8(2).
  • Pizzie RG, Raman N, Kraemer DJM. Math anxiety and executive function: Neural influences of task switching on arithmetic processing. Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci. 2020;20(2):309–325.
  • Pizzie RG, McDermott CL, Tyler SG, et al. Neural evidence for cognitive reappraisal as a strategy to alleviate the effects of math anxiety. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2020;15(12):1271–1287.
  • Supekar K, Iuculano T, Chen L, et al. Remediation of childhood math anxiety and associated neural circuits through cognitive tutoring. J Neurosci. 2015;35(36):12574–12583.
  • Altınok S. Matematik kaygısı ve eğitim uygulamasının sayısal görevler sırasındaki beyin aktivitesine etkisi (Yayın No. 927595) [Doktora tezi, Ankara Üniversitesi]. YÖK Ulus Tez Merk. 2025;
  • Barroso C, Ganley CM, McGraw AL, et al. A Meta-analysis of the Relation Between Math Anxiety and Math Achievement. Psychol Bull. 2021;147(2):134–168.
  • Artemenko C, Daroczy G, Nuerk HC. Neural correlates of math anxiety – an overview and implications. Front Psychol. 2015;6.

From Numerical Perception to Mathematics Anxiety: Insights from Neuroimaging Evidence

Year 2026, Volume: 79 Issue: 1, 118 - 129, 27.03.2026
https://doi.org/10.65092/autfm.1789710
https://izlik.org/JA69TH66PH

Abstract

This review examines the role of numerical perception in the development of mathematical abilities and the neural underpinnings of mathematics anxiety in light of neuroimaging findings. Numerical perception relies on cognitive systems such as the core number system and the symbolic representation system, and is localized in the brain’s fronto-parietal regions. Individual differences in mathematical performance are influenced not only by general cognitive factors but also by domain-specific factors such as numerical processing, mathematical concept knowledge, and mathematics anxiety. Mathematics anxiety is thought to impair performance by limiting working memory through negative emotional responses that arise during numerical tasks. Neuroimaging studies have shown functional and structural alterations in the amygdala, insula, and fronto-parietal networks in individuals with high mathematics anxiety. However, these neural alterations associated with mathematics anxiety have been found to be modifiable through interventions such as education, practice, and emotion regulation. A better understanding of the relationship between mathematics anxiety and number processing may contribute to the development of practice- and education-based application strategies aimed at enhancing numerical performance.

References

  • Cantlon JF. Math, monkeys, and the developing brain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012;109:10725–10732.
  • Dehaene S, Dehaene-Lambertz G, Cohen L. Abstract representations of numbers in the animal and human brain. Trends Neurosci. 1998;21(8):355–361.
  • Starr A, Libertus ME, Brannon EM. Number sense in infancy predicts mathematical abilities in childhood. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013;110(45):18116–18120.
  • Starkey P, Cooper RG. Perception of numbers by human infants. Science 1980;210(4473):1033–1035.
  • Ferrigno S, Jara-Ettinger J, Piantadosi ST, et al. Universal and uniquely human factors in spontaneous number perception. Nat Commun. 2017;8:1–10.
  • Pica P, Lemer C, Izard V, et al. Exact and approximate arithmetic in an Amazonian indigene group. Science. 2004;306(5695):499–503.
  • Feigenson L, Dehaene S, Spelke E. Core systems of number. Trends Cogn Sci. 2004;8(7):307–314.
  • Kaufman EL, Lord MW, Reese TW, et al. The discrimination of visual number. Am J Psychol. 1949;62:498–525.
  • Mandler G, Shebo BJ. Subitizing: An analysis of its component processes. J Exp Psychol Gen. 1982;111(1):1–22.
  • Nieder A. Counting on neurons: The neurobiology of numerical competence. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2005;6(3):177–190.
  • Von Aster MG, Shalev RS. Number development and developmental dyscalculia. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2007;49(11):868–873.
  • Gebuis T, Reynvoet B. Number Representations and Their Relation with Mathematical Ability. In: Kadosh RC, Dowker A, editors. The Oxford Handbook of Numerical Cognition. Great Clarendon Street, Oxford, ox2 6dp, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press; 2015. p. 333–335.
  • Üstün S, Ayyıldız N, Vatansever G, et al. Neural Foundations of Number Sense and Dyscalculia. J Ankara Univ Fac Med. 2019;72(3):254–261.
  • Piazza M, Izard V, Pinel P, et al. Tuning curves for approximate numerosity in the human intraparietal sulcus. Neuron. 2004;44(3):547–555.
  • Lyons IM, Vogel SE, Ansari D. On the ordinality of numbers: A review of neural and behavioral studies. Prog Brain Res. 2016;227:187-221.
  • Delazer M, Butterworth B. A Dissociation of Number Meanings. Cogn Neuropsychol. 1997;14(4):613–636.
  • Turconi E, Seron X. Dissociation between order and quantity meaning in a patient with Gerstmann syndrome. Cortex. 2002;38(5):911–914.
  • Schneider M, Grabner RH, Paetsch J. Mental Number Line, Number Line Estimation, and Mathematical Achievement: Their Interrelations in Grades 5 and 6. J Educ Psychol. 2009;101(2):359–372.
  • Dehaene S. The Number Sense: How the Mind Creates Mathematics. New York: Oxford University Press; 1997.
  • Dehaene S, Bossini S, Giraux P. The Mental Representation of Parity and Number Magnitude Access to Parity and Magnitude Knowledge During Number Processing. J Exp Psychol Gen. 1993;122(3):371–396.
  • van Oeffelen MP, Vos PG. A probabilistic model for the discrimination of visual number. Percept Psychophys. 1982;32(2):163–170.
  • Dehaene S. Précis of the number sense. Mind Lang. 2001;16(1):16–36.
  • Lyons IM, Beilock SL. Numerical ordering ability mediates the relation between number-sense and arithmetic competence. Cognition. 2011;121(2):256–261.
  • Menon V, Rivera SM, White CD, et al. Dissociating prefrontal and parietal cortex activation during arithmetic processing. Neuroimage. 2000;12(4):357–365.
  • Sawamura H, Shima K, Tanji J. Numerical representation for action in the parietal cortex of the monkey. Nature. 2002;415(6874):918–922.
  • Lemer C, Dehaene S, Spelke E, et al. Approximate quantities and exact number words: Dissociable systems. Neuropsychologia. 2003;41(14):1942–1958.
  • Simon O, Mangin JF, Cohen L, et al. Topographical layout of hand, eye, calculation, and language-related areas in the human parietal lobe. Neuron. 2002;33(3):475–487.
  • Matejko AA, Ansari D. The neural association between arithmetic and basic numerical processing depends on arithmetic problem size and not chronological age. Dev Cogn Neurosci. 2019;37:1-14.
  • Ansari D, Lyons IM, Van Eimeren L, et al. Linking visual attention and number processing in the brain: The role of the temporo-parietal junction in small and large symbolic and nonsymbolic number comparison. J Cogn Neurosci. 2007;19(11):1845–1853.
  • Artemenko C, Moeller K, Huber S, et al. Differential influences of unilateral tDCS over the intraparietal cortex on numerical cognition. Front Hum Neurosci. 2015;9.
  • Ayyıldız N, Beyer F, Üstün S, et al. Changes in the superior longitudinal fasciculus and anterior thalamic radiation in the left brain are associated with developmental dyscalculia. Front Hum Neurosci. 2023;17:1–15.
  • Isaacs EB, Edmonds CJ, Lucas A, et al. Calculation difficulties in children of very low birthweight: A neural correlate. Brain. 2001;124(9):1701–1707.
  • Price GR, Holloway I, Räsänen P, et al. Impaired parietal magnitude processing in developmental dyscalculia. Curr Biol. 2007;17(24):1042–1043.
  • Dehaene S, Piazza M, Pinel P, et al. Three parietal circuits for number processing. Cogn Neuropsychol. 2003;20(3–6):487–506.
  • Arsalidou M, Taylor MJ. Is 2+2=4? Meta-analyses of brain areas needed for numbers and calculations. Neuroimage. 2011;54(3):2382–2393.
  • Hawes Z, Sokolowski HM, Ononye CB, et al. Neural underpinnings of numerical and spatial cognition: An fMRI meta-analysis of brain regions associated with symbolic number, arithmetic, and mental rotation. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2019;103:316–336.
  • Nieder A, Freedman DJ, Miller EK. Representation of the quantity of visual items in the primate prefrontal cortex. Science. 2002;297(5587):1708–1711.
  • Nieder A, Miller EK. A parieto-frontal network for visual numerical information in the monkey. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004;101(19):7457–7462.
  • Arsalidou M, Pawliw-Levac M, Sadeghi M, et al. Brain areas associated with numbers and calculations in children: Meta-analyses of fMRI studies. Dev Cogn Neurosci. 2018;30:239–250.
  • Sokolowski HM, Fias W, Mousa A, et al. Common and distinct brain regions in both parietal and frontal cortex support symbolic and nonsymbolic number processing in humans: A functional neuroimaging meta-analysis. Neuroimage. 2017;146:376–394.
  • Emerson RW, Cantlon JF. Early math achievement and functional connectivity in the fronto-parietal network. Dev Cogn Neurosci. 2012;2:139–151.
  • Tsang JM, Dougherty RF, Deutsch GK, et al. Frontoparietal white matter diffusion properties predict mental arithmetic skills in children. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009;106(52):22546–22551.
  • Van Eimeren L, Niogi SN, McCandliss BD, et al. White matter microstructures underlying mathematical abilities in children. Neuroreport. 2008;19(11):1117–1121.
  • Wen X, Yao L, Liu Y, et al. Causal interactions in attention networks predict behavioral performance. J Neurosci. 2012;32(4):1284–1292.
  • Ansari D, Garcia N, Lucas E, et al. Neural correlates of symbolic number processing in children and adults. Neuroreport. 2005;16(16):1769–1773.
  • Üstün S, Ayyıldız N, Kale EH, et al. Children With Dyscalculia Show Hippocampal Hyperactivity During Symbolic Number Perception. Front Hum Neurosci. 2021;15:1–13.
  • Menon V. A neurodevelopmental perspective on the role of memory systems in children’s math learning. In: In: Berch, DB.Geary, DC., Mann Koepke K, editor. Development of Mathematical Cognition-Neural Substrates and Genetic Influences. United States: Elsevier Science Publishing Co Inc.; 2015. p. 79–107.
  • Mock J, Huber S, Bloechle J, et al. Magnitude processing of symbolic and non-symbolic proportions: An fMRI study. Behav Brain Funct. 2018;14(1):1–19.
  • Nemmi F, Schel MA, Klingberg T. Connectivity of the human number form area reveals development of a cortical network for mathematics. Front Hum Neurosci. 2018;12:1–15.
  • Vatansever G, Üstün S, Ayyıldız N, et al. Developmental alterations of the numerical processing networks in the brain. Brain Cogn. 2020;141(2019).
  • Dehaene S, Molko N, Cohen L, et al. Arithmetic and the brain. Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2004;14(2):218–224.
  • Vogel SE, De Smedt B. Developmental brain dynamics of numerical and arithmetic abilities. NPJ Sci Learn. 2021;6(1):1–11.
  • Chen Q, Li J. Association between individual differences in non-symbolic number acuity and math performance: A meta-analysis. Acta Psychol. 2014;148:163–172.
  • Schneider M, Beeres K, Coban L, et al. Associations of non-symbolic and symbolic numerical magnitude processing with mathematical competence:a meta-analysis. Dev Sci. 2017;20(3):1–16.
  • Lyons IM, Price GR, Vaessen A, et al. Numerical predictors of arithmetic success in grades 1-6. Dev Sci. 2014;17(5):714–726.
  • Sommerauer G, Graß KH, Grabner RH, et al. The semantic control network mediates the relationship between symbolic numerical order processing and arithmetic performance in children. Neuropsychologia. 2020;141.
  • Tymofiyeva O, Gaschler R. Training-Induced Neural Plasticity in Youth: A Systematic Review of Structural and Functional MRI Studies. Front Hum Neurosci. 2021;14:1–24.
  • Ischebeck A, Zamarian L, Siedentopf C, et al. How specifically do we learn? Imaging the learning of multiplication and subtraction. Neuroimage. 2006;30(4):1365–1375.
  • Ischebeck A, Zamarian L, Schocke M, et al. Flexible transfer of knowledge in mental arithmetic - An fMRI study. Neuroimage. 2009;44(3):1103–1112.
  • Delazer M, Domahs F, Bartha L, et al. Learning complex arithmetic - An fMRI study. Brain Res Cogn Brain Res. 2003;18(1):76–88.
  • Sokolowski HM, Hawes Z, Ansari D. The neural correlates of retrieval and procedural strategies in mental arithmetic: A functional neuroimaging meta-analysis. Hum Brain Mapp. 2022;1–16.
  • Cantlon JF, Libertus ME, Pinel P, et al. The neural development of an abstract concept of number. J Cogn Neurosci. 2009;21(11):2217–2229.
  • Rivera SM, Reiss AL, Eckert MA, et al. Developmental changes in mental arithmetic: Evidence for increased functional specialization in the left inferior parietal cortex. Cereb Cortex. 2005;15(11):1779–1790.
  • Vogel SE, Goffin C, Ansari D. Developmental specialization of the left parietal cortex for the semantic representation of Arabic numerals: An fMR-adaptation study. Dev Cogn Neurosci. 2015;12(1):61–73.
  • Menon V. Memory and cognitive control circuits in mathematical cognition and learning. Prog Brain Res. 2016;227:159–186.
  • Lyons IM, Beilock SL. When Math Hurts: Math Anxiety Predicts Pain Network Activation in Anticipation of Doing Math. PLoS One. 2012;7(10).
  • Richardson FC, Suinn RM. The Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale: Psychometric data. Psychol Rep. 2003;92(1):167-173.
  • Dowker A, Sarkar A, Looi CY. Mathematics anxiety: What have we learned in 60 years? Front Psychol. 2016;7.
  • Cipora K, Santos FH, Kucian K, et al. Mathematics anxiety-where are we and where shall we go? Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2022;1–17.
  • Pizzie RG, Kraemer DJM. The Academic Anxiety Inventory: Evidence for dissociable patterns of anxiety related to math and other sources of academic stress. Front Psychol. 2019;9:1–20.
  • Maloney EA, Ansari D, Fugelsang JA. The effect of mathematics anxiety on the processing of numerical magnitude. Q J Exp Psychol. 2011;64(1):10–6.
  • Maldonado Moscoso PA, Castaldi E, Arrighi R, et al. Mathematics and Numerosity but Not Visuo-Spatial Working Memory Correlate with Mathematical Anxiety in Adults. Brain Sci. 2022;12(4).
  • Eidlin Levy H, Rubinsten O. Numbers (but not words) make math anxious individuals sweat: Physiological evidence. Biol Psychol. 2021;165:108187.
  • Ashcraft MH, Kirk EP. The relationships among working memory, math anxiety, and performance. J Exp Psychol Gen. 2001;130(2):224–237.
  • Ashcraft MH, Krause JA. Working memory, math performance, and math anxiety. Psychon Bull Rev. 2007;14(2):243–248.
  • Huber JF, Artemenko C. Anxiety-Related Difficulties with Complex Arithmetic: A Web-Based Replication of the Anxiety-Complexity Effect. Z Psychol. 2021;229(4):236–240.
  • Hopko DR, Ashcraft MH. Mathematics Anxiety and Working Memory: Support for the Existence of a Deficient Inhibition Mechanism. J Anxiety Disord. 1998;12(4):343–355.
  • Lyons IM, Beilock SL. Mathematics anxiety: Separating the math from the anxiety. Cereb Cortex. 2012;22(9):2102–2110.
  • Pletzer B, Kronbichler M, Nuerk HC, et al. Mathematics anxiety reduces default mode network deactivation in response to numerical tasks. Front Hum Neurosci. 2015;9:1–12.
  • Atabek O, Şavklıyıldız A, Orhon G, et al. The effect of anxiety on mathematical thinking: An fMRI study on 12th-grade students. Learn Motiv. 2022;77:101779.
  • Sarkar A, Dowker A, Kadosh RC. Cognitive enhancement or cognitive cost: Trait-specific outcomes of brain stimulation in the case of mathematics anxiety. J Neurosci. 2014;34(50):16605–16610.
  • Moustafa AA, Porter A, Megreya AM. Mathematics anxiety and cognition: An integrated neural network model. Rev Neurosci. 2020;31(3):287–296.
  • Young CB, Wu SS, Menon V. The Neurodevelopmental Basis of Math Anxiety. Psychol Sci. 2012;23(5):492–501.
  • Kucian K, McCaskey U, O’Gorman Tuura R, et al. Neurostructural correlate of math anxiety in the brain of children. Transl Psychiatry. 2018;8(1).
  • Hembree R. The Nature, Effects, and Relief of Mathematics Anxiety. J Res Math Educ. 1990;21(1):33–46.
  • Cui F, Liao X, Yang J, et al. The neural mechanism of the impact of mathematical anxiety on the math conceptual knowledge: Evidence from a resting-state fMRI study. Acta Psychol Sin. 2023;55(6):968–977.
  • Supekar K, Menon V. Developmental maturation of dynamic causal control signals in higher-order cognition: A neurocognitive network model. PLoS Comput Biol. 2012;8(2).
  • Pizzie RG, Raman N, Kraemer DJM. Math anxiety and executive function: Neural influences of task switching on arithmetic processing. Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci. 2020;20(2):309–325.
  • Pizzie RG, McDermott CL, Tyler SG, et al. Neural evidence for cognitive reappraisal as a strategy to alleviate the effects of math anxiety. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2020;15(12):1271–1287.
  • Supekar K, Iuculano T, Chen L, et al. Remediation of childhood math anxiety and associated neural circuits through cognitive tutoring. J Neurosci. 2015;35(36):12574–12583.
  • Altınok S. Matematik kaygısı ve eğitim uygulamasının sayısal görevler sırasındaki beyin aktivitesine etkisi (Yayın No. 927595) [Doktora tezi, Ankara Üniversitesi]. YÖK Ulus Tez Merk. 2025;
  • Barroso C, Ganley CM, McGraw AL, et al. A Meta-analysis of the Relation Between Math Anxiety and Math Achievement. Psychol Bull. 2021;147(2):134–168.
  • Artemenko C, Daroczy G, Nuerk HC. Neural correlates of math anxiety – an overview and implications. Front Psychol. 2015;6.
There are 93 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Neurosciences (Other)
Journal Section Review
Authors

Simge Altınok 0000-0002-3247-6201

Metehan Çiçek 0000-0002-8782-2191

Submission Date September 25, 2025
Acceptance Date January 27, 2026
Publication Date March 27, 2026
DOI https://doi.org/10.65092/autfm.1789710
IZ https://izlik.org/JA69TH66PH
Published in Issue Year 2026 Volume: 79 Issue: 1

Cite

APA Altınok, S., & Çiçek, M. (2026). From Numerical Perception to Mathematics Anxiety: Insights from Neuroimaging Evidence. Ankara Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Mecmuası, 79(1), 118-129. https://doi.org/10.65092/autfm.1789710
AMA 1.Altınok S, Çiçek M. From Numerical Perception to Mathematics Anxiety: Insights from Neuroimaging Evidence. Ankara Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Mecmuası. 2026;79(1):118-129. doi:10.65092/autfm.1789710
Chicago Altınok, Simge, and Metehan Çiçek. 2026. “From Numerical Perception to Mathematics Anxiety: Insights from Neuroimaging Evidence”. Ankara Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Mecmuası 79 (1): 118-29. https://doi.org/10.65092/autfm.1789710.
EndNote Altınok S, Çiçek M (March 1, 2026) From Numerical Perception to Mathematics Anxiety: Insights from Neuroimaging Evidence. Ankara Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Mecmuası 79 1 118–129.
IEEE [1]S. Altınok and M. Çiçek, “From Numerical Perception to Mathematics Anxiety: Insights from Neuroimaging Evidence”, Ankara Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Mecmuası, vol. 79, no. 1, pp. 118–129, Mar. 2026, doi: 10.65092/autfm.1789710.
ISNAD Altınok, Simge - Çiçek, Metehan. “From Numerical Perception to Mathematics Anxiety: Insights from Neuroimaging Evidence”. Ankara Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Mecmuası 79/1 (March 1, 2026): 118-129. https://doi.org/10.65092/autfm.1789710.
JAMA 1.Altınok S, Çiçek M. From Numerical Perception to Mathematics Anxiety: Insights from Neuroimaging Evidence. Ankara Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Mecmuası. 2026;79:118–129.
MLA Altınok, Simge, and Metehan Çiçek. “From Numerical Perception to Mathematics Anxiety: Insights from Neuroimaging Evidence”. Ankara Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Mecmuası, vol. 79, no. 1, Mar. 2026, pp. 118-29, doi:10.65092/autfm.1789710.
Vancouver 1.Simge Altınok, Metehan Çiçek. From Numerical Perception to Mathematics Anxiety: Insights from Neuroimaging Evidence. Ankara Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Mecmuası. 2026 Mar. 1;79(1):118-29. doi:10.65092/autfm.1789710