01/07/2021

What are the effects of not studying mathematics?

Crédito: Pixabay

Reproduction from the IMPA Science & Mathematics blog, from O Globo, coordinated by Claudio Landim.

Débora Foguel, Professor at the Leopoldo de Meis Institute of Medical Biochemistry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)

Still (and forever…) devastated by the milestone of 500,000 Brazilian deaths from the pandemic reached last weekend, especially knowing that most of these deaths would have been preventable, I decided to write this month about a study recently published in the prestigious journal PNAS (2021, Vol 118) which reports on research about mathematics learning and brain development in young people in the United Kingdom. After all, this is a blog of the Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics, and the study in question involves neurobiology, a subject that greatly interests and delights me. And, at this moment, these small joys are necessary…

One fact I was unaware of, and which I learned from this article, is that in England and also in India, students from the age of 16 can choose whether or not to continue studying mathematics.

Thus, the researchers' idea was to investigate the impact on students' brains of studying or not studying mathematics. Previous neurobiology studies have already indicated that the frontal and parietal lobes (upper part) of the brain are directly involved in mathematical cognition. However, there were still no reports on what happens to these brain regions when mathematics is not studied, nor on the concentration of neurotransmitters that precede possible morphofunctional changes in the brain.

The cohort used in the study is interesting because everyone studies the same subjects, and the only difference is that part of the group studies advanced mathematics by choice, while the other part does not. In other words, the groups are similar since they share the same age, gender distribution, socioeconomic level, etc. Furthermore, in a second approach, the authors investigated the brains of students who had already made the choice "yes or no to mathematics" but had not yet begun studying advanced mathematics. This approach is crucial for understanding whether the observed differences in the brains of those who study mathematics and those who do not were present before the start of their mathematical studies.

To address all these issues, the authors used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to evaluate two specific brain regions associated with 'numeracy' and its connectivity, namely, the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) and the middle frontal gyrus (MFG). The authors also assessed the role of neurotransmitters, but here I will only tell you about gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter that negatively regulates (inhibits) neuronal excitability in the adolescent brain, as it was the only neurotransmitter investigated that showed a correlation.

Taken together, these results reinforce the idea that GABA is related to cognitive performance and the role of the frontal cortex in high-performance mathematical cognition, such as problem-solving skills, which are learned skills requiring neural plasticity. We still don't know how an excess of this inhibitory neurotransmitter in this specific brain region affects other regions and cognitive abilities. Furthermore, it became evident that a lack of educational opportunities can lead to neural and cognitive alterations. This becomes even more relevant in times of pandemic, especially in countries that have not treated education as a primary activity deserving of our full attention, care, and respect!

To read the full text, visit the newspaper's website.