Oscillatory brain activity reveals linguistic prints in the quantity code

PLoS One. 2015 Apr 15;10(4):e0121434. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0121434. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Number representations change through education, although it is currently unclear whether and how language could impact the magnitude representation that we share with other species. The most prominent view is that language does not play any role in modulating the core numeric representation involved in the contrast of quantities. Nevertheless, possible cultural hints on the numerical magnitude representation are currently on discussion focus. In fact, the acquisition of number words provides linguistic input that the quantity system may not ignore. Bilingualism offers a window to the study of this question, especially in bilinguals where the two number wording systems imply also two different numerical systems, such as in Basque-Spanish bilinguals. The present study evidences linguistic prints in the core number representational system through the analysis of EEG oscillatory activity during a simple number comparison task. Gamma band synchronization appears when Basque-Spanish bilinguals compare pairs of Arabic numbers linked through the Basque base-20 wording system, but it does not if the pairs are related through the base-10 system. Crucially, this gamma activity, originated in a left fronto-parietal network, only appears in bilinguals who learned math in Basque and not in equivalent proficiency bilinguals who learned math in Spanish. Thus, this neural index reflected in gamma band synchrony appears to be triggered by early learning experience with the base-20 numerical associations in Basque number words.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Brain / physiology*
  • Brain Mapping
  • Electroencephalography
  • Humans
  • Language
  • Learning / physiology*
  • Linguistics*
  • Mathematics
  • Multilingualism
  • Reaction Time / physiology
  • Speech Perception / physiology*

Grants and funding

This research was supported by the Marie Curie grant FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IEF and the Ministry of Science and Innovation grant PSI2011-23995 awarded to ES. PB was supported by the Basal Funds for Centers of Excellence, Project FB 0003 from the Associative Research Program of CONICYT and the Project UCH1201 from Initial Teacher Training of MECESUP3. This research was partially supported by the CONSOLIDER-INGENIO2010 CSD2008-00048 grant from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, and the ERC-2011-ADG-295362 grant from the European Research Council awarded to MC.