Distinct neuronal representation of small and large numbers in the human medial temporal lobe

Esther F. Kutter, Gert Dehnen, Valeri Borger, Rainer Surges, Florian Mormann () and Andreas Nieder ()
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Esther F. Kutter: University of Bonn Medical Center
Gert Dehnen: University of Bonn Medical Center
Valeri Borger: University of Bonn Medical Center
Rainer Surges: University of Bonn Medical Center
Florian Mormann: University of Bonn Medical Center
Andreas Nieder: University of Tübingen

Nature Human Behaviour, 2023, vol. 7, issue 11, 1998-2007

Abstract: Abstract Whether small numerical quantities are represented by a special subitizing system that is distinct from a large-number estimation system has been debated for over a century. Here we show that two separate neural mechanisms underlie the representation of small and large numbers. We performed single neuron recordings in the medial temporal lobe of neurosurgical patients judging numbers. We found a boundary in neuronal coding around number 4 that correlates with the behavioural transition from subitizing to estimation. In the subitizing range, neurons showed superior tuning selectivity accompanied by suppression effects suggestive of surround inhibition as a selectivity-increasing mechanism. In contrast, tuning selectivity decreased with increasing numbers beyond 4, characterizing a ratio-dependent number estimation system. The two systems with the coding boundary separating them were also indicated using decoding and clustering analyses. The identified small-number subitizing system could be linked to attention and working memory that show comparable capacity limitations.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41562-023-01709-3

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