Dataset Information

Learning to read recycles visual cortical networks without destruction.

ABSTRACT: Learning to read is associated with the appearance of an orthographically sensitive brain region known as the visual word form area. It has been claimed that development of this area proceeds by impinging upon territory otherwise available for the processing of culturally relevant stimuli such as faces and houses. In a large-scale functional magnetic resonance imaging study of a group of individuals of varying degrees of literacy (from completely illiterate to highly literate), we examined cortical responses to orthographic and nonorthographic visual stimuli. We found that literacy enhances responses to other visual input in early visual areas and enhances representational similarity between text and faces, without reducing the extent of response to nonorthographic input. Thus, acquisition of literacy in childhood recycles existing object representation mechanisms but without destructive competition.

SUBMITTER: Hervais-Adelman A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6750915 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Learning to read recycles visual cortical networks without destruction.

Hervais-Adelman Alexis A Kumar Uttam U Mishra Ramesh K RK Tripathi Viveka N VN Guleria Anupam A Singh Jay P JP Eisner Frank F Huettig Falk F

Science advances 20190918 9

Learning to read is associated with the appearance of an orthographically sensitive brain region known as the visual word form area. It has been claimed that development of this area proceeds by impinging upon territory otherwise available for the processing of culturally relevant stimuli such as faces and houses. In a large-scale functional magnetic resonance imaging study of a group of individuals of varying degrees of literacy (from completely illiterate to highly literate), we examined corti ...[more]

PMID: 31555732

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Project description:Learning tactile Braille reading leverages cross-modal plasticity, emphasizing the brain's ability to reallocate functions across sensory domains. This neuroplasticity engages motor and somatosensory areas and reaches language and cognitive centers like the visual word form area (VWFA), even in sighted subjects following training. No study has employed a complex reading task to monitor neural activity during the first weeks of Braille training. Since neuroplasticity can occur within days, understanding neural reorganization during early learning stages is critical. Moreover, such activation was not tested in visual and tactile domains using comparable tasks. Furthermore, implicit reading has not been studied in tactile Braille. Although visual reading in the native script occurs automatically, it remains uncertain whether the same applies to tactile reading. An implicit reading task could extend the knowledge of linguistic processing in Braille. Our study involved 17 sighted adults who learned Braille for 7 months and 19 controls. The experimental group participated in 7 testing sessions (1 week before the course, on the first day, after 1 and 6 weeks, after 3 and 7 months, and after 3 month-long hiatus). Using the fMRI Lexical Decision Task, we observed increased activity within the reading network, including the inferior frontal and supramarginal gyri, 1 week into learning in tactile and visual Braille. Interestingly, VWFA activation was observed after 1 week in the visual domain but only after 6 weeks in the tactile domain. This suggests that skill level in tactile reading influences the onset of involvement of VWFA. Once this activation was achieved, the peak level of VWFA engagement remained stable, even after the follow-up. Furthermore, an implicit reading task revealed increased activity within the reading network, including the VWFA, among participants learning Braille compared to the passive controls. Possibly, implicit reading occurs during non-reading tactile tasks where the Braille alphabet is present. We showed that the VWFA activity peak occurs faster in the visual domain compared to the tactile domain. We also showed that sighted subjects can process tactile Braille implicitly. These results enrich our understanding of neural adaptation mechanisms and the interplay between sensory modalities during complex, cross-modal learning.

Dataset Information

Learning to read recycles visual cortical networks without destruction.

Publications

Learning to read recycles visual cortical networks without destruction.

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