Ask a second-grade student a basic addition problem, and he or she will likely start counting on fingers and toes. As the student ages, counting to solve basic problems will (hopefully) be replaced by mental math and recall. MRIs of young children have now revealed the transformation that takes place inside the brain as these skills develop.
Stanford University researchers asked a group of 28 children to solve simple addition problems inside an MRI, and as the kids got older, brain activity shifted away from the prefrontal and parietal regions associated with counting and increased in the hippocampus, which is associated with memory.
More on this research from ABC News at the link below:
Evan joined TriMed in 2011, writing primarily for Health Imaging. Prior to diving into medical journalism, Evan worked for the Nine Network of Public Media in St. Louis. He also has worked in public relations and education. Evan studied journalism at the University of Missouri, with an emphasis on broadcast media.