Cerebral asymmetry in children when reading Chinese characters.
This study examined cerebral asymmetry, especially in the hierarchical visual system, when reading Chinese characters. Twelve right-handed Chinese children (mean age = 11.6 years) were scanned while performing semantic and phonological tasks. Strong leftward asymmetry was found in the left inferior frontal cortex (BA44/45/47), the parietal lobule (BA40), and the cingulate cortex (BA24/32). In the visual system, we found significant left-hemispheric dominance in the fusiform cortex (BA19/37), but no asymmetry was found in the primary visual cortex (BA17/18). The differential results for the primary visual cortex versus high-order visual cortex (i.e., the fusiform cortex) are discussed in terms of the contribution of the logographic nature of Chinese characters to the asymmetry pattern in the hierarchical visual system.
Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, P.R. China.
Gui
G
Xue
Qi
Q
Dong
Kewei
K
Chen
Zhen
Z
Jin
Chuansheng
C
Chen
Yawei
Y
Zeng
Eric M
EM
Reiman
D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007802:Language; D007807:Language Tests; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D011932:Reading
D010100:Oxygen