Andy’s Quick Hits (50): Maths Education in Adolescence Leaves Lasting Changes in the Brain

Well, you may or may not have enjoyed maths at school but a fascinating piece of research has shown what this does to the brain and why you may have wanted to keep up your maths education.

Intriguingly this is with a specific neurotransmitter in a specific part of the brain and the changes could be seen two years later.

This piece of research followed teenagers in the UK who get the option of dropping maths as they continue further studies in contrast to many other countries or curriculums globally.

So what did this research show?

Well, they found that adolescents who didn’t study maths had lower levels of GABA (gamma-Aminobutyric acid) in the Middle Frontal Gyrus (MFG) a key brain region involved in many important cognitive functions, including reasoning, problem solving, maths, memory and learning.

What’s more interesting is that :

• They could differentiate between those who studied maths or not based on GABA levels in the MFG.
• The amount of GABA predicted maths attainment…