Neural activation dependent on reading speed during covert reading of novels.
We measured the dependence of activation on reading speed with fMRI in a wide range that spanned two orders of magnitude. We used four trained subjects who were capable of a technique of rapid reading, and another four who were untrained, to investigate the neural mechanism during the covert reading of novels. This revealed that activation decreased for trained subjects during extremely rapid reading in the left superior and middle temporal gyri or near Wernicke's area, and in Broca's area. These results suggest that the trained subjects read sentences with fewer phonological processes. The decrease in activation might also be due to fewer semantic and syntactic processes, although the subjects understood the story lines in the novels.
Fujimaki
Norio
N
Brain Information Group, Communications Research Laboratory, 588-2 Iwaoka, Iwaoka-cho, Nishi-ku, Kobe 651-2492, Japan. fujimaki@crl.go.jp
Hayakawa
Tomoe
T
Munetsuna
Shinji
S
Sasaki
Toyofumi
T
D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007807:Language Tests; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D011932:Reading; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014705:Verbal Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*