Areas of the brain involved in reading and writing
-By Timothy Lyons
Both the ability to recognize words and sounding out words letter by letter are part of the process of reading. There are several areas of the brain involved in reading and writing. Previously learned words that are familiar can be read through a process known as whole word reading. With new or unlearned words reading is performed by phonetic reading which is sounding out the letters to produce the whole word (Carson & Birkett, 2017).
Visual information from the left side of the body is sent to the primary visual cortex which is then sent to the visual association cortex. This information moves to the left visual association cortex (VAC) via the corpus callosum. This area of the VAC is known as the visual word-form area (VWFA). The person can then verbally read a word aloud because the information processes through instruments of speech in the left frontal lobe (Carson & Birkett, 2017).
If the person needed to sound out a word in order to read it then the information would have to pass through the temporoparietal cortex. In order to evaluate the written word, information passes though the visual cortex beginning in the left posterior inferior temporal cortex to the temporal lobe which includes the VWFA and the fusiform gyrus.The fusiform gyrus is noted for recognition of faces but also assists in recognition of the written word. This information is brought to the inferior frontal cortex. The information from word sounds is dealt with in the temporoparietal cortex and Broca’s area while word-form facts are processed in the VWFA (Carson & Birkett, 2017).
Many of the same brain systems that are used in reading are also used in writing. Evidence that this is so comes from studies involving persons who have disorders of speech. These individuals also have corresponding problems with writing and reading. Recognition of words, how they sound and what they look like are all part of the writing process. When writing, a person also engages in motor skills. This occurs in the dorsal parietal lobe and the premotor cortex in conjunction with the primary motor cortex. The dorsal parietal cortex is important because it contains the information about the movements that are necessary to form the written word (Carson & Birkett, 2017).
References Areas of the brain involved in reading and writing
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