Language and reading development in the brain today: neuromarkers and the case for prediction

Abstract

ObjectivesThe goal of this article is to provide an account of language development in the brain using the new information about brain function gleaned from cognitive neuroscience. By addressing the evidence obtained from non‐invasive brain imaging in the light of prediction, this account goes beyond describing the association between language and specific brain areas to advocate the importance and possibility of predicting language outcomes using brain‐imaging data. The goal is to address the current evidence about language development in the brain and the possibility of prediction of language outcomes. SourcesRecent studies will be discussed in the light of the evidence generated for predicting language outcomes and using new methods of analysis of brain data. Summary of the dataThe present account of brain behavior will address: (1) the development of a hardwired brain circuit for spoken language; (2) the neural adaptation that follows reading instruction and fosters the “grafting” of visual processing areas of the brain onto the hardwired circuit of spoken language; and (3) the prediction of language development and the possibility of translational neuroscience. ConclusionsBrain imaging has allowed for the identification of neural indices (neuromarkers) that reflect typical and atypical language development; the possibility of predicting risk for language disorders has emerged. A mandate to develop a bridge between neuroscience and health and cognition‐related outcomes may pave the way for translational neuroscience.