Overlapping functional networks subserving single-digit multiplication

Abstract

Modern neuroimaging techniques, especially fMRI, have advanced our understanding of the neuroanatomical basis of cognitive processes such as mental arithmetic. Most studies so far only attempted to relate individual activated regions with specific processes. However, the neural activation within a given region may reflect the summation of multiple distinct networks that carry different functional purposes. By combining general linear model (GLM) and independent components analysis (ICA) into contributive source analysis (CSA), this study aimed to test the hypothesis that multiple functional networks engage in simple mental task of single-digit multiplication and contribute collectively to the activations in prefrontal and parietal cortices.