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Cognitive Event-Related Potentials in Solving Arithmetic Tasks by Adolescents Living in Different Regions of Northern Russia

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Abstract

Mathematical problem solving is an explicitly formed skill formed during school education. The goal of the work was to study cognitive event-related potentials (ERPs) in solving mathematical equations (addition, subtraction) in adolescents (12–16 years of age) living in different regions of northern Russia: Arkhangelsk (n = 14) and Murmansk (non-Sami, n = 17; Sami, n = 13) regions. The subjects were asked to solve delayed answer verification tasks: the trial consisted of two stimuli: the trial started with presenting a problem for 400 ms; then, after 700 ms, an answer was presented, either correct or incorrect one. The subjects had to press the left mouse button at correct answer. Differences in the ERP amplitude were observed at the interval of 220–270 ms after presentation of the first stimulus due to shorter P2–N3 complex latency in adolescents from the Circumpolar region as compared with adolescents from the Polar region. Differences in the amplitudes of the late positive component at the interval of 430–530 ms were also observed (greater values were observed in the Sami adolescents). Differences between the groups were observed at presentation of a correct solution and were characterized by the greater latency of the negative ERP component in frontal, central, and parietal areas in the adolescents living in the Polar region. Thus, the characteristics of the ERP components during mathematical problem solving show differences probably related to the regional aspects of development in children.

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Funding

The study was carried out as part of the State Contract with the Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences no. AAAA-A18-118012290142-9.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia

    Zh. V. Nagornova, N. V. Shemyakina & S. I. Soroko

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  1. Zh. V. Nagornova
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  2. N. V. Shemyakina
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  3. S. I. Soroko
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Correspondence to Zh. V. Nagornova or N. V. Shemyakina.

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Conflict of interest. The authors declare no apparent and potential conflicts of interest related to the publication of this article.

Statement of compliance with standards of research involving humans as subjects. All studies were conducted in accordance with the principles of biomedical ethics formulated in the Helsinki Declaration of 1964 and its subsequent updates and were approved by the Ethics Committee of the Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences (St. Petersburg). Written informed consent for the participation of a child in the study was received from the parents of each participant in the study; the study was carried out with the voluntary desire of the child.

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Translated by L. Solovyova

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Nagornova, Z.V., Shemyakina, N.V. & Soroko, S.I. Cognitive Event-Related Potentials in Solving Arithmetic Tasks by Adolescents Living in Different Regions of Northern Russia. Hum Physiol 46, 257–263 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0362119720030123

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0362119720030123

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