Some Neurons In Your Brains Only Fire Up When You Do Numbers
Scientists have discovered specific neurons inside the brain fire up when people do maths. The general belief that the right side of the brain controls emotions and creativity while the left side of the brain is credited with analysis and calculations is more than up for a challenge. The brain is one of the most complex and poorly understood elements of life.
Work to understand how the human brain works have been speeding up with the intent to create artificial human intelligence. The truth is that code and machine learning is a universe apart from how the brain functions. The human brain is also significantly underestimated. It goes through great efforts to do automatic tasks that keep people alive and other incredible tasks that humans take for granted and never stop to ask how it does them.
Scientists of the University of Bonn say their study proves that specific neurons in the brain are coded to resolve mathematical equations. The study also found that when doing different calculations, different neurons fire up. These neurons activate like a (+) or (−) sign on a calculator. Furthermore, the study showed that it makes no difference if the calculation is presented as a numerical equation or as a language problem. The addition or subtraction neurons will light up like a Christmas tree every time.
In the Departement of Epileptology at the University of the Bonn Hospital, patients with epilepsy undergo specialized surgical procedures to implant several electrodes in their brain. The electrodes are used to determine where the epilepsy spasm originates. This provides better understanding, reduces seizures and designs better medications and treatments. Five women and four men from this program participated in the mathematical study.
The study showed that the temporal lobe of the brain and the parahippocampal cortex are deeply connected to mathematical calculations. Mathematical calculations require visualization, memory, language skills, imagination, abstract thinking and sleep functions, all very complex tools associated with these regions of the brain. To scientists' surprise, when patients subtracted, different neurons activated to when patients did additions.
Scientists concluded that the neuron cells encode the mathematical operation and instruction and send the electric signal that triggers the action. So, just by looking at what region of the brain was lighting up, the team could predict with great accuracy if the patient was adding or subtracting. While it may seem relatively straightforward, after all, adding and subtracting is not quantum mechanics, Professor Andreas Nieder from the University of Tübingen says there is "hardly any" study into how this works in humans. This alone fact alone says so much about how little scientists know about how the human brains work.
Source: Current Biology/Cell