Abstract
Previous functional neuroimaging studies have shown that the left mid-fusiform cortex plays a critical role in reading. However, there is very limited research relating this region's anatomical structure to reading performance either in native or second language. Using structural MRI and three reading tasks (Chinese characters, English words, and alphabetic pseudowords) and a non-reading task (visual-auditory learning), this study investigated the contributions of the left mid-fusiform cortical thickness to reading in a large sample of 226 Chinese subjects. Results showed that the cortical thickness in the left mid-fusiform gyrus was positively correlated with performance on all three reading tasks but not with the performance on the non-reading task. Our findings provide structural evidence for the left mid-fusiform cortex as the "gateway" region for reading Chinese and English. The absence of the association between the left mid-fusiform cortical thickness and non-reading performance implied the specific role of this area in reading skills, not in general language skills.
Highlights
Previous studies have suggested that the left mid-fusiform cortex plays a critical role in reading (Cohen et al, 2000, 2002; Koyama et al, 2011; Mei et al, 2010; Price and Devlin, 2004; Xue et al, 2006a)
The current study investigated the relationship between cortical thickness in the left mid-fusiform cortex and multiple language skills in Chinese readers
We found that the left mid-fusiform cortical thickness contributed to the performance on three reading tasks, but it was not associated with a non-reading language task
Summary
Previous studies have suggested that the left mid-fusiform cortex plays a critical role in reading (Cohen et al, 2000, 2002; Koyama et al, 2011; Mei et al, 2010; Price and Devlin, 2004; Xue et al, 2006a). Better reading skills were associated with stronger activity in the left mid-fusiform cortex in studies of Swiss-German adolescents and adults (Brem et al, 2006) and 6- to 22-year-old native English speakers (Turkeltaub et al, 2003; see a review by Schlaggar and McCandliss, 2007).
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