Development of Orthographic Knowledge: fMRI Studies

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): An understanding of how skilled reading is achieved is fundamental to generating improved strategies for reading education, and toward identifying, treating, and preventing developmental deficits in reading and spelling. Skilled reading is the consequence of a complex interplay of experience and the development of neurobiological substrates. Investigation of the developmental neurobiology of reading is likely to yield important insight into its skilled performance. This proposal focuses on the linking of visual orthographic (i.e., letters) information to phonology, critical in the acquisition of reading skills. By extension, characterization of the developmental functional neuroanatomy of the relationship between orthographic and phonologic processing will provide an important context for studying the cognitive neuroscience of typical (and atypical) reading development. This proposal aims to identify and characterize the developmental functional anatomy of orthographic knowledge, and of the spelling-to-sound translation processes involved in word reading. The principal investigator (PI) is an academic physician-scientist trained in pediatric neurology and specializing in disorders of cognitive development. Although the PI has substantial experience in developmental neurobiology and the functional neuroimaging of typically and atypically developing children, the added dimension of integrating developmental psycholinguistics supported by this Research Career Award (K02) should provide important insights into mechanisms of the developmental neurobiology of reading and significantly aid the PI in further developing his independent research career. Washington University possesses excellent resources in cognitive neuroscience, access to patient populations, and expert researchers in developmental psycholinguistics and represents an ideal environment for the PI to complete the goals of this proposal.