A cross-linguistic evaluation of script-specific effects on fMRI lateralization in late second language readers.

ABSTRACT: Behavioral and neuroimaging studies have provided evidence that reading is strongly left lateralized, and the degree of this pattern of functional lateralization can be indicative of reading competence. However, it remains unclear whether functional lateralization differs between the first (L1) and second (L2) languages in bilingual L2 readers. This question is particularly important when the particular script, or orthography, learned by the L2 readers is markedly different from their L1 script. In this study, we quantified functional lateralization in brain regions involved in visual word recognition for participants' L1 and L2 scripts, with a particular focus on the effects of L1-L2 script differences in the visual complexity and orthographic depth of the script. Two different groups of

SUBMITTER: Koyama MS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4006067 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature