{
  "abstract": "How does the human brain represent the meaning of abstract symbols? Some theories postulate the existence of semantic spaces where concepts occupy positions that reflect their conceptual relationships. In the number domain, psychological evidence suggests that integers are represented along a mental number line which, with education, integrates higher-level number concepts such as fractions. To test this hypothesis, we recorded whole-brain 7T fMRI responses to integer and fraction symbols during an active magnitude comparison task designed to engage magnitude processing. Consistent with predictions, we found both behavioral and neural numerical distance effects. Activation vectors in intraparietal, inferior temporal, prefrontal, hippocampal, and parahippocampal cortices formed a two-dimensional semantic space organized by numerical magnitude and domain (fractions versus integers). Gaussian fits revealed a topographic map of numerical preferences in the anterior inferior parietal cortex, common to both domains. Our results suggest that, when educated adults engage in an explicit magnitude comparison task, their brain can construct an ordered representation that integrates fractions and integers, with a topographic organization in the anterior IPS/IPL.\n\nHow does the brain represent symbolic integers and fractions? This study shows that educated adults process both integers and fractions within a shared, topographic map in the parietal cortex, indicating that the brain integrates integers and higher-level concepts such as fractions to support the understanding and comparison of numerical magnitudes.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Université Paris Saclay, INSERM, CEA, Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, NeuroSpin Center, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.",
    "Collège de France, PSL University, Paris, France."
  ],
  "article_type": "Research Article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Daniela Valério",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-8062-5817"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Samuel Debray"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Alireza Karami"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Maxime Cauté"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Nicolás Gravel"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Stanislas Dehaene"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3m3vvfn2805kr.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1371/journal.pbio.3003820",
  "fulltext_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3003820",
  "id": "3m3vvfn2805kr",
  "issns": [
    "1545-7885",
    "1544-9173"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3003820",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2613|Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skills"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Anatomy/Brain/Cerebral cortex/Temporal lobe"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Anatomy/Brain/Hippocampus"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Neuroscience/Brain mapping/Functional magnetic resonance imaging"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Neuroscience/Neuroimaging/Functional magnetic resonance imaging"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Neuroscience/Neuronal tuning"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Psychology/Behavior"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Anatomy/Brain/Cerebral cortex/Temporal lobe"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Anatomy/Brain/Hippocampus"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Diagnostic medicine/Diagnostic radiology/Magnetic resonance imaging/Functional magnetic resonance imaging"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Radiology and imaging/Diagnostic radiology/Magnetic resonance imaging/Functional magnetic resonance imaging"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Mathematics/Algebra/Linear algebra/Vector spaces"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Mathematics/Statistics/Statistical methods/Multivariate analysis/Principal component analysis"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Research and analysis methods/Imaging techniques/Diagnostic radiology/Magnetic resonance imaging/Functional magnetic resonance imaging"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Research and analysis methods/Imaging techniques/Neuroimaging/Functional magnetic resonance imaging"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Research and analysis methods/Mathematical and statistical techniques/Statistical methods/Multivariate analysis/Principal component analysis"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Social sciences/Linguistics/Semantics"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Social sciences/Psychology/Behavior"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223218274",
  "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3003820&type=printable",
  "pmcid": "PMC13690230",
  "pmid": "42911907",
  "published": "2026-10-22",
  "publisher": "Public Library of Science",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3m3vvfn2805kr.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:23Z",
      "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pbio.3003820",
      "source": "plos",
      "url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3003820"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:10Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42911907",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42911907"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "plos:neuroscience",
      "subfield": "neuroscience"
    },
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "plos:diagnostic radiology",
      "subfield": "imaging"
    },
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "plos:anatomy",
      "subfield": "physiology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "A cortical semantic map integrates fractions and integers in the human brain",
  "title_text": "A cortical semantic map integrates fractions and integers in the human brain",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:20:10Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3m3vvfn2805kr",
  "venue": "PLOS Biology",
  "versions": []
}