Neural specialization for letter recognition.

Full Abstract

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to estimate neural activity while subjects viewed strings of consonants, digits, and shapes. An area on or near the left fusiform gyrus was found that responded significantly more to letters than digits. Similar results were obtained when consonants were used whose visual features were matched with the digits and when an active matching task was used, suggesting that the results cannot be easily attributed to artifacts of the stimuli or task. These results demonstrate that neural specialization in the human brain can extend to a category of stimuli that is culturally defined and that is acquired many years postnatally.

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Author information

Author/s: Polk, Thad A (TA); Stallcup, Matthew (M); Aguirre, Geoffrey K (GK); Alsop, David C (DC); D'Esposito, Mark (M); Detre, John A (JA); Farah, Martha J (MJ);

Affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. tpolk(-atsign-)umich.edu

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Journal: Journal of cognitive neuroscience (J Cogn Neurosci), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2002-Feb; vol 14 (issue 2) : pp 145-59

Dates: Created 2002/04/23; Completed 2002/05/22; Revised 2006/11/15;

PMID: 11970782, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adolescent
Adult
Female
Functional Laterality - physiology
Humans

Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Pattern Recognition, Visual - physiology
Reading
Temporal Lobe - physiology

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