Analysis and comparison of complex brain networks in math anxious and non math-anxious individuals during math performance = Ανάλυση και σύγκριση πολύπλοκων δικτύων του εγκεφάλου σε άτομα με ή χωρίς μαθηματικό άγχος κατά την μαθηματική επεξεργασία

Περίληψη

The current study aims to provide a literature review about math anxiety. Furthermore, the brain activation network of individuals, regarding their math-anxiety during the processing of arithmetic calculations and a working memory task is demonstrated. Data were obtained from university students through EEG recordings. The brain networks are constructed for each kind of brainwaves (Alpha 1, Alpha 2, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Theta). For the construction of the links of the networks, we use imaginary part of coherence as a metric. Based on previous network visualizations, some useful network measures such as degree centrality, betweeness centrality, density, characteristic path length, eigenvector centrality, transitivity, clustering coefficient and efficiency (local & global) are computed. Analysis of the results is expected to shed light on the organization of the cortical networks and on the interactions that occur in the brain of math-anxious and non math-anxious individuals and influence the efficiency (global and average local) and the density of their brain network. Finally, we cite some interesting connections of  Neuroscience and Economics and we propose some interesting research directions that occured during this study.