Brain stimulation can boost math learning in people with weaker neural connections
Frontoparietal network strength predicts certain math skills and whether brain stimulation can help
image:
3D volume, generated manually by the authors in CONN, depicting the four frontoparietal seeds (left dlPFC, right dlPFC, left PPC, right PPC) as well as the right and left frontoparietal connectivity that was used in the functional connectivity analyses.
view moreCredit: Zacharopoulos G et al., 2025, PLOS Biology, CC-BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
The strength of certain neural connections can predict how well someone can learn math, and mild electrically stimulating these networks can boost learning, according to a study published on July 1st in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Roi Cohen Kadosh from University of Surrey, United Kingdom, and colleagues.
When it comes to cognitive skills like reading and math, early advantages tend to compound over time. Mathematical abilities, however, seem to plateau from childhood to adulthood, raising the possibility that innate brain characteristics might shape academic outcomes independently of external factors like socioeconomic status. To better understand the neurobiology of mathematical learning, the authors measured connection strength between brain regions associated with learning math while 72 participants performed a 5-day math task. While solving math problems that required either calculating a solution or rote memorization, participants received weak electrical stimulation to either the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), which plays an important role in executive function and calculations; the posterior parietal cortex (PPC), which is associated with memory recall; or a placebo. They also used magnetic resonance spectroscopy to measure two brain chemicals, glutamate and GABA, that hint at the brain’s current capacity for learning and change.
The researchers found that stronger baseline connectivity between dlPFC, PPC, and the hippocampus — a region involved in long-term memory and in this context, generalizing algorithms across problems — predicted better math performance when participants were asked to calculate the solution, but not when they memorized it. People with weaker connections between the dlPFC and PPC regions improved at calculation learning after electrically stimulating dlPFC. The authors suggest that these results hint at the viability of using brain stimulation to aid math learning in people struggling with biological disadvantages. The authors also identified a complex relationship between neurochemistry, brain plasticity, and communication between regions associated with executive function and memory. Future studies should more deeply examine these relationships, and test whether a neurostimulation approach like this could help people outside of the lab.
Professor Roi Cohen Kadosh, the lead author of the study and Head of the School of Psychology at the University of Surrey, said, “So far, most efforts to improve education have focused on changing the environment – training teachers, redesigning curricula – while largely overlooking the learner’s neurobiology. Yet, a growing body of research has shown that biological factors often explain educational outcomes in mathematics more powerfully than environmental ones. By integrating insights from psychology, neuroscience and education to develop innovative techniques that address these neurobiological constraints, we can help more people reach their potential, broaden access to diverse career pathways and reduce long-term inequalities in income, health and wellbeing.”
In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available paper in PLOS Biology: http://plos.io/3STohc7
Citation: Zacharopoulos G, Dehghani M, Krause-Sorio B, Near J, Cohen Kadosh R (2025) Functional connectivity and GABAergic signaling modulate the enhancement effect of neurostimulation on mathematical learning. PLoS Biol 23(7): e3003200. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3003200
Author countries: United Kingdom, Canada, United States
Funding: Funding: This research was supported by the European Research Council (Learning&Achievement 338065 to RCK, https://erc.europa.eu/) and the Wellcome Trust (0883781 to RCK, https://wellcome.org/). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Journal
PLOS Biology
Method of Research
Experimental study
Subject of Research
People
COI Statement
Competing interests: I have read the journal's policy and the author RCK of this manuscript has the following competing interests: RCK serves on the scientific advisory boards of Neuroelectrics Inc., Innosphere Inc., is the founder and shareholder of Cognite Neurotechnology Ltd., and is an Editorial Board Member at PLOS Biology.
Neurotechnology reverses biological disadvantage in maths learning
image:
Roi Cohen Kadosh
view moreCredit: University of Surrey
Safe, painless, and non-invasive brain stimulation could help people who are at risk of falling behind in maths, according to a new study led by the University of Surrey.
The study, published in PLoS Biology, found that applying safe electrical currents to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) – a region involved in learning and memory, focus, and problem-solving – helped people aged 18 to 30 solve maths problems more efficiently.
Seventy-two healthy adults took part in a five-day maths training programme – 24 received a form of brain stimulation known as transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) to the dlPFC, 24 received tRNS over the posterior parietal cortex and 24 received a placebo (sham) version of the treatment. This allowed researchers to compare the effects of tRNS in different brain regions against a placebo group.
The study showed, via brain scans, that individuals with stronger brain connectivity between the dlPFC and the posterior parietal cortex performed better in maths learning tasks. They then demonstrated that tRNS over the dlPFC significantly improved learning outcomes for individuals with lower natural brain connectivity between this region and the posterior parietal cortex – a neurobiological profile associated with poorer learning.
Improvements were also linked to lower levels of GABA – a brain chemical involved in learning. The same research team has previously shown that GABA plays a role in maths learning from childhood to adulthood, including A-level education.
Professor Roi Cohen Kadosh, the lead author of the study and Head of the School of Psychology at the University of Surrey, said:
“So far, most efforts to improve education have focused on changing the environment – training teachers, redesigning curricula – while largely overlooking the learner’s neurobiology. Yet, a growing body of research has shown that biological factors often explain educational outcomes in mathematics more powerfully than environmental ones. By integrating insights from psychology, neuroscience and education to develop innovative techniques that address these neurobiological constraints, we can help more people reach their potential, broaden access to diverse career pathways and reduce long-term inequalities in income, health and wellbeing.”
These findings point to a biological basis for the ‘Matthew effect’ – the tendency for those who start ahead in education to continue advancing, while others fall further behind. The study suggests that targeted brain stimulation could help bridge this gap.
As the UK looks to boost maths skills across the population, especially in young adults, this basic research and future research on larger samples outside the lab could help shape future policies by showing how tailored support, focusing on brain activity, might make learning fairer and more effective.
The study was funded by the European Research Council and the Wellcome Trust.
Journal
PLOS Biology
Article Title
Functional connectivity and GABAergic signaling modulate the enhancement effect of neurostimulation on mathematical learning
Article Publication Date
1-Jul-2025
Neurotechnology reverses biological disadvantage in maths learning
University of Surrey
Neurotechnology reverses biological disadvantage in maths learning
Safe, painless, and non-invasive brain stimulation could help people who are at risk of falling behind in maths, according to a new study led by the University of Surrey.
The study, published in PLoS Biology, found that applying safe electrical currents to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) – a region involved in learning and memory, focus, and problem-solving – helped people aged 18 to 30 solve maths problems more efficiently.
Seventy-two healthy adults took part in a five-day maths training programme – 24 received a form of brain stimulation known as transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) to the dlPFC, 24 received tRNS over the posterior parietal cortex and 24 received a placebo (sham) version of the treatment. This allowed researchers to compare the effects of tRNS in different brain regions against a placebo group.
The study showed, via brain scans, that individuals with stronger brain connectivity between the dlPFC and the posterior parietal cortex performed better in maths learning tasks. They then demonstrated that tRNS over the dlPFC significantly improved learning outcomes for individuals with lower natural brain connectivity between this region and the posterior parietal cortex – a neurobiological profile associated with poorer learning.
Improvements were also linked to lower levels of GABA – a brain chemical involved in learning. The same research team has previously shown that GABA plays a role in maths learning from childhood to adulthood, including A-level education.
Professor Roi Cohen Kadosh, the lead author of the study and Head of the School of Psychology at the University of Surrey, said:
“So far, most efforts to improve education have focused on changing the environment – training teachers, redesigning curricula – while largely overlooking the learner’s neurobiology. Yet, a growing body of research has shown that biological factors often explain educational outcomes in mathematics more powerfully than environmental ones. By integrating insights from psychology, neuroscience and education to develop innovative techniques that address these neurobiological constraints, we can help more people reach their potential, broaden access to diverse career pathways and reduce long-term inequalities in income, health and wellbeing.”
These findings point to a biological basis for the ‘Matthew effect’ – the tendency for those who start ahead in education to continue advancing, while others fall further behind. The study suggests that targeted brain stimulation could help bridge this gap.
As the UK looks to boost maths skills across the population, especially in young adults, this basic research, and future research on larger samples outside the lab, could help shape future policies by showing how tailored support, focusing on brain activity, might make learning fairer and more effective.
The study was funded by the European Research Council and the Wellcome Trust.
[ENDS]
Roi Cohen Kadosh is available for interview, please contact mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk to arrange.
The preview of the paper is available at: https://plos.my.salesforce.com/sfc/p/#U0000000Ifis/a/PM000009bjx3/1ccrJNZ2kD0M4OhdrO1P8wnNttNKa796anHn.htxtoo
An image of Roi Cohen Kadosh is available here
Journal
PLOS Biology
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