Does the Brain Care Which Direction We Read? A Cross‐Cultural tDCS Study on Functional Lateralization of Number Processing
ABSTRACT Purpose The potential influence of culture on functional lateralization was rarely investigated, yet it may be an important factor in our understanding of the human brain. In numerical processing, evidence was found for differential directional preferences of space–number associations in cu...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2025-03-01
|
| Series: | Brain and Behavior |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.70353 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850184979101777920 |
|---|---|
| author | Narjes Bahreini Christina Artemenko Christian Plewnia Reza Rostami Hans‐Christoph Nuerk |
| author_facet | Narjes Bahreini Christina Artemenko Christian Plewnia Reza Rostami Hans‐Christoph Nuerk |
| author_sort | Narjes Bahreini |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Purpose The potential influence of culture on functional lateralization was rarely investigated, yet it may be an important factor in our understanding of the human brain. In numerical processing, evidence was found for differential directional preferences of space–number associations in cultures with opposite reading direction systems. This may affect finger‐counting preferences like the starting hand, which in turn have previously been associated with differing lateralization. Such studies raise the question of whether number culture may also play a distinct role in the lateralization of the intraparietal sulcus (IPS), the hallmark region of numerical magnitude processing. Method In our preregistered cross‐cultural study, we applied anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the left versus right IPS to investigate the effect of stimulation as compared to sham in Iranians (with right‐to‐left reading system) and Germans (with left‐to‐right reading system). Finding Results indicated no overall effect of stimulation; however, exploratory analyses revealed that tDCS over the left and right IPS facilitated number processing in Iranians compared to Germans after controlling for training effects. Finger‐counting direction was not found to be decisive for this effect. Conclusion At the end, number processing might be bilaterally represented in the IPS; however, our exploratory analyses emphasize the need for further investigation on the potential role of culture in the representations of numbers. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2f5bbb035a27423895210ee6ef4506da |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2162-3279 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Brain and Behavior |
| spelling | doaj-art-2f5bbb035a27423895210ee6ef4506da2025-08-20T02:16:54ZengWileyBrain and Behavior2162-32792025-03-01153n/an/a10.1002/brb3.70353Does the Brain Care Which Direction We Read? A Cross‐Cultural tDCS Study on Functional Lateralization of Number ProcessingNarjes Bahreini0Christina Artemenko1Christian Plewnia2Reza Rostami3Hans‐Christoph Nuerk4Department of PsychologyUniversity of TuebingenTuebingenGermanyDepartment of PsychologyUniversity of TuebingenTuebingenGermanyGerman Center for Mental Health (DZPG)Tuebingen GermanyDepartment of PsychologyUniversity of TehranTehranIranDepartment of PsychologyUniversity of TuebingenTuebingenGermanyABSTRACT Purpose The potential influence of culture on functional lateralization was rarely investigated, yet it may be an important factor in our understanding of the human brain. In numerical processing, evidence was found for differential directional preferences of space–number associations in cultures with opposite reading direction systems. This may affect finger‐counting preferences like the starting hand, which in turn have previously been associated with differing lateralization. Such studies raise the question of whether number culture may also play a distinct role in the lateralization of the intraparietal sulcus (IPS), the hallmark region of numerical magnitude processing. Method In our preregistered cross‐cultural study, we applied anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the left versus right IPS to investigate the effect of stimulation as compared to sham in Iranians (with right‐to‐left reading system) and Germans (with left‐to‐right reading system). Finding Results indicated no overall effect of stimulation; however, exploratory analyses revealed that tDCS over the left and right IPS facilitated number processing in Iranians compared to Germans after controlling for training effects. Finger‐counting direction was not found to be decisive for this effect. Conclusion At the end, number processing might be bilaterally represented in the IPS; however, our exploratory analyses emphasize the need for further investigation on the potential role of culture in the representations of numbers.https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.70353culturefunctional lateralizationnumber processingreading directiontDCS |
| spellingShingle | Narjes Bahreini Christina Artemenko Christian Plewnia Reza Rostami Hans‐Christoph Nuerk Does the Brain Care Which Direction We Read? A Cross‐Cultural tDCS Study on Functional Lateralization of Number Processing Brain and Behavior culture functional lateralization number processing reading direction tDCS |
| title | Does the Brain Care Which Direction We Read? A Cross‐Cultural tDCS Study on Functional Lateralization of Number Processing |
| title_full | Does the Brain Care Which Direction We Read? A Cross‐Cultural tDCS Study on Functional Lateralization of Number Processing |
| title_fullStr | Does the Brain Care Which Direction We Read? A Cross‐Cultural tDCS Study on Functional Lateralization of Number Processing |
| title_full_unstemmed | Does the Brain Care Which Direction We Read? A Cross‐Cultural tDCS Study on Functional Lateralization of Number Processing |
| title_short | Does the Brain Care Which Direction We Read? A Cross‐Cultural tDCS Study on Functional Lateralization of Number Processing |
| title_sort | does the brain care which direction we read a cross cultural tdcs study on functional lateralization of number processing |
| topic | culture functional lateralization number processing reading direction tDCS |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.70353 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT narjesbahreini doesthebraincarewhichdirectionwereadacrossculturaltdcsstudyonfunctionallateralizationofnumberprocessing AT christinaartemenko doesthebraincarewhichdirectionwereadacrossculturaltdcsstudyonfunctionallateralizationofnumberprocessing AT christianplewnia doesthebraincarewhichdirectionwereadacrossculturaltdcsstudyonfunctionallateralizationofnumberprocessing AT rezarostami doesthebraincarewhichdirectionwereadacrossculturaltdcsstudyonfunctionallateralizationofnumberprocessing AT hanschristophnuerk doesthebraincarewhichdirectionwereadacrossculturaltdcsstudyonfunctionallateralizationofnumberprocessing |