Researchers at the University of Oxford found that those who stopped maths after their GCSEs had less gamma-aminobutyric acid, a chemical which is crucial for brain plasticity, than counterparts who pursued maths post-16.
The reduction in the chemical, which works as a neurotransmitter, was found in a key area of the brain that supports maths, memory, learning, reasoning and problem solving – and researchers warned it could put affected students at a disadvantage.
More than 130 students aged 14-18 took part in the study by researchers from the university’s department of experimental psychology. Students over 16 were asked if they had already stopped studying maths, while younger students were asked whether they were planning to give up maths.
Each of them underwent a brain scan and cognitive assessment, and were followed up 19 months later. According to the paper, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers were able to spot those who did or did not study maths post-16 based on concentrations of the brain chemical in each student.
They also found the amount of brain chemical present predicted changes in mathematical attainment about 19 months later, yet there were no differences in the levels of the chemical present before the adolescents stopped studying maths.
The findings are significant because pupils in the UK are allowed to drop maths at 16, unlike those in much of the rest of the world. They are likely to be seized upon by those in favour of extending compulsory maths to the age of 18. They also raise questions about the possible impact on children’s cognitive development of disrupted learning due to Covid.
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