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NCT Number: NCT07778706

Intervention on Mathematical Problem-Solving Skills

The purpose of this study is to investigate neurocognitive mechanisms underlying response to intervention aimed at enhancing and remediating weaknesses in arithmetic skills in children, including those with mathematical learning disabilities (MLD).

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Key information

Conditions

Math Learning Disability Child Development Communication Disorders Dyscalculia Learning Disabilities Learning Disabilities, Child Mental Disorders Nervous System Diseases Neurobehavioral Manifestations Neurodevelopmental Disorders Neurologic Manifestations Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms Specific Learning Disorder

Age range

6 year–12 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Stanford University

Palo Alto, California, 94304, United States

Location contact

Vinod Menon, Ph.D.

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Zehra E Unal, Ph.D.

CONTACT

[email protected]

7376150834

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Elementary school-aged children starting from first grade (6-12 years old)
  • IQ: Participants with a Full Scale IQ > 70 on the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI-II)
  • Identification of Mathematical Learning Disabilities: Scores below the 20th percentile on two or more Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-IV) math subtests
  • Identification of typically developing children: Scores at or above the 50th percentile on two or more WIAT-IV math subtests
  • Normal or corrected-to-normal vision and no hearing impairments
  • Inclusion in MRI scan session: Right-handed

Exclusion criteria

  • History of neurological or psychiatric disorder (i.e., schizophrenia, psychosis, depression, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)
  • History of trauma involving head injury
  • Consistent psychiatric medications
  • Exclusion from MRI scan session: No major contraindication for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) - braces, metal implants, pacemakers, vascular stents, metallic ear tubes, consistent exposure to metal, or claustrophobia)

Treatment and study plan

Speeded practice training

Behavioral

Speeded practice training includes activities that focus solely on enhancing arithmetic fluency.

Arithmetic strategy training

Behavioral

Arithmetic strategy training includes activities that progressively develop the efficient use of arithmetic problem-solving strategies.

Primary outcomes

  1. Change from baseline in arithmetic task performance (reaction time)

    Time frame: Baseline and post-intervention (after 6 weeks)

    Performance will be measured by children's reaction time (milliseconds) on arithmetic task

  2. Change from baseline in arithmetic task performance (accuracy)

    Time frame: Baseline and post-intervention (after 6 weeks)

    Performance will be measured by children's accuracy (% trials correct) on arithmetic task

  3. Change from baseline in latent cognitive measures of arithmetic task performance (drift rate)

    Time frame: Baseline and post-intervention (after 6 weeks)

    Latent cognitive processing will be measured by drift rate from children's arithmetic task performance

  4. Change from baseline in latent cognitive measures of arithmetic performance (post-error adjustment)

    Time frame: Baseline and post-intervention (after 6 weeks)

    Latent cognitive processing will be measured by post-error adjustment from children's arithmetic task performance

  5. Change from baseline in brain activation during arithmetic task performance

    Time frame: Baseline and post-intervention (after 6 weeks)

    Neural activity will be measured during a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) arithmetic task. Data will consist of beta values from individual-subject contrast maps for the Small vs. Large contrast in the whole-brain GLM fMRI analysis.

  6. Change from baseline in brain representation during arithmetic task performance

    Time frame: Baseline and post-intervention (after 6 weeks)

    Neural activity will be measured during the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) arithmetic task. Data will consist of spatial correlations of voxel-wise brain activation between Trained vs. Rest and Untrained vs. Rest contrasts for individual subjects.

  7. Change from baseline in brain connectivity during arithmetic task performance

    Time frame: Baseline and post-intervention (after 6 weeks)

    Neural activity will be measured during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) arithmetic task. Data will consist of generalized psychophysiological interaction (gPPI) beta values from individual subject contrast maps for Small vs.

    Large contrast.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change from baseline in untrained arithmetic task performance (reaction time)

    Time frame: Baseline and post-intervention (after 6 weeks)

    Performance will be measured by children's reaction time (milliseconds) on untrained arithmetic task

  2. Change from baseline in untrained arithmetic task performance (accuracy)

    Time frame: Baseline and post-intervention (after 6 weeks)

    Performance will be measured by children's accuracy (% trials correct) on untrained arithmetic task

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Stanford University

Other

Collaborators

  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Registry information

Official study title

Interventions in Math Learning Disabilities: Cognitive and Neural Correlates

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2031
Study completion
2031
First posted
Aug 21, 2026
Registry last updated
Aug 21, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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