MINNEAPOLIS, May 26 (UPI) -- Students who struggle with mathematics may have a disorder similar to dyslexia that inhibits the acquisition of basic math concepts, U.S. researchers say.
Researchers at the University of Minnesota say the neurocognitive disorder, called developmental dyscalculia, interferes with the acquisition of basic numerical and arithmetic concepts.
The disorder affects roughly the same number of people as dyslexia but has received much less attention and research funding, a university release said Thursday.
A study by UM researcher Sashank Varma, working with British colleagues, documents magnetic resonance imaging efforts aimed at mapping the neural network in the brain that supports arithmetic and which found abnormalities in this network among learners with dyscalculia.
The findings could lead to intervention strategies for the disorder, Varma says.
"Knowledge about what parts of the brain we use while learning mathematics is spurring the design of new computer learning environments that can strengthen simple number and arithmetic concepts," he said.
He said he envisions future research "where neuroscientists, psychologists and educational researchers collaborate to offer a productive way forward on the important question of why some children struggle with learning mathematics."
