Working Memory for Serial Order Is Dysfunctional in Adults With a History of Developmental Dyscalculia: Evidence From Behavioral and Neuroimaging Data

Abstract

Recent studies suggest that order working memory (WM) may be specifically associated with numerical abilities. This study explored behavioral performance and neural networks associated with verbal WM in adults with a history of developmental dyscalculia (DD). The DD group performed significantly poorer but with the same precision than the control group in order WM tasks and showed a lower activation of the right middle frontal gyrus during the order WM and the alphabetical order judgment tasks. This study suggests a persistent impairment in order WM in adults with DD, characterized by more general difficulties in controlled activation of order information.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by grants Fonds De La Recherche Scientifique—FNRS 1.5.056.10 (Fund for Scientific Research FNRS, Belgium) and PAI-IUAP P7/11(Belgian Science Policy).