Reading and the Right Fusiform

描述(由申请者提供)：多年的跨学科研究极大地提高了我们对阅读教学的最佳方法、与单词识别相互作用的拼写和语音变量以及支持阅读的神经基础的理解。然而，核心理论问题仍然没有得到解决。例如，左侧梭形皮质中的一个特定区域，称为视觉词形区域(VWFA)，与正字法加工密切相关。总体而言，目前的发现表明，该区域是这条路径的核心--甚至是必需的--通过这条路径，对书面单词的感知分析最终提供了流畅地获得语音和意义表示的途径。在这个方案中，我们考虑了另一种可能性：即右侧梭形皮质可以提供另一种途径，通过这一途径，印刷品可以进入语言系统。我们将通过检测文化差异(目标1)、个体差异(目标2)和正字法差异(目标3)对左右梭形皮质的大小、时间进程和功能连通性的影响来检验这一假设。我们将把梭形活动与阅读技能的测量联系起来，并与不同类型的拼写分析的行为标记物联系起来。这一结果将为有关VWFA的理论辩论提供信息，并可能导致治疗获得性和发展性阅读障碍的新方法。公共卫生相关性：这项拟议研究的首要目标是确定正确的梭形是否可以提供进入语言系统的替代途径，我们对以中文为母语的人的研究结果提出了这一可能性。关于视觉词形区域的性质以及知觉分析对阅读过程中语音编码的影响，这一问题的答案将有助于揭示正在进行的辩论。从长远来看，答案也可能具有重要的临床意义：如果右侧梭形脑区能够独立于左侧梭形脑区(即VWFA)支持阅读，那么有可能设计新的方法来治疗后天性或发育性VWFA功能障碍的个体。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Years of interdisciplinary research have significantly advanced our understanding of optimal methods for reading instruction, orthographic and phonological variables that interact with word identification, and the neural substrates that support reading. However, core theoretical issues remain unresolved. For instance, a specific region in the left fusiform cortex, termed the Visual Word Form Area (VWFA), has been strongly implicated in orthographic processing. Overall, the current findings suggest the region is a core - perhaps even obligatory -- part of the pathway by which the perceptual analysis of written words ultimately provides fluent access to representations of phonology and meaning. In this proposal, we consider an alternative possibility: namely, that the right fusiform cortex can provide an alternative route through which print can gain access to the language system. We will test this hypothesis by examining the effect of cultural (Aim 1), individual (Aim 2), and orthographic (Aim 3) differences on the magnitude, time course, and functional connectivity of the right and left fusiform cortex. We will relate fusiform activity to measures of reading skill, and to behavioral markers for different types of orthographic analysis. The results should inform the theoretical debate about the VWFA, and they may lead to new approaches for the treatment of acquired and developmental reading disorders. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The overarching goal of the proposed research is to determine whether the right fusiform can provide an alternative route into the language system, a possibility that is raised by our findings with native Chinese speakers. The answer will shed light on the ongoing debate about the nature of the Visual Word Form Area (VWFA) and the impact of perceptual analysis upon phonological coding during reading. Longer term, the answer may also have important clinical implications: if the right fusiform can support reading independently from the left fusiform (i.e., VWFA), then it may be possible to design new approaches to the treatment of individuals with acquired or developmental dysfunction of the VWFA.