Serial processing and the “phonetic route:” Lessons learned in the functional reorganization of deep dyslexia

Abstract

A patient with chronic agrammatic Broca's aphasia presented with symptoms of deep dyslexia, in which it is presumed that phonologic processing of the written message is disrupted. Functional reorganization of the “nonlexical” or phonetic route of reading was undertaken according to principles of A. R. Luria, whereby the patient must learn consciously to control behaviors that had formerly been unconcious and automatic. This patient's responses in treatment made it clear that the phonetic route encompasses at least two dissociable functions, grapheme-phoneme conversion and sequential analysis. This is discussed in light of Luria's ideas regarding the functions of the precentral and postcentral regions of sensorimotor cortex.