A new study has found that brain scans may be able to predict which kids are likely to improve their math skills in school and which ones are not according to new research.
Forty-three children were part of the study and were monitored for six years, starting at age 8. The tests showed that while brain characteristics strongly indicated which children would be the best learners of mathematics over the following six years, the children's performance on math, reading, IQ and memory tests at age 8 did not.
The study could assist scientists in helping children who struggle to acquire math skills.
"We can identify brain systems that support children's math skill development over six years in childhood and early adolescence," said the study's lead author, Tanya Evans, PhD, postdoctoral scholar in psychiatry and behavioral sciences, according to the Stanford Medicine News Center.
The study shows that brain regions appear to be the most important in developing math skills. "A long-term goal of this research is to identify children who might benefit most from targeted math intervention at an early age," said Vinod Menon, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences who led the research, NBC News reported.
"Next, we are investigating how brain connections change over time in children who show large versus small improvements in math skills, and designing new interventions to help children improve their short-term learning and long-term skill acquisition," Menon said, according to the Stanford Medicine News Center.
While giving brain scans to children on a large scale is impractical, the team's research provides a baseline understanding of normal development that will help experts develop and validate remediation programs for children with learning disabilities.
Meanwhile, the findings suggest that parents and teachers should encourage children to keep practicing math. "Just because a child is currently struggling doesn't necessarily mean he or she will be a poor learner in the future," Evans said.
The study was published in the Aug. 18 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.
