title: Visual feature-tolerance in the reading network.
abstract: A century of neurology and neuroscience shows that seeing words depends on ventral occipital-temporal (VOT) circuitry. Typically, reading is learned using high-contrast line-contour words. We explored whether a specific VOT region, the visual word form area (VWFA), learns to see only these words or recognizes words independent of the specific shape-defining visual features. Word forms were created using atypical features (motion-dots, luminance-dots) whose statistical properties control word-visibility. We measured fMRI responses as word form visibility varied, and we used TMS to interfere with neural processing in specific cortical circuits, while subjects performed a lexical decision task. For all features, VWFA responses increased with word-visibility and correlated with performance. TMS applied to motion-specialized area hMT+ disrupted reading performance for motion-dots, but not line-contours or luminance-dots. A quantitative model describes feature-convergence in the VWFA and relates VWFA responses to behavioral performance. These findings suggest how visual feature-tolerance in the reading network arises through signal convergence from feature-specialized cortical areas.
authors: Neurosciences Program and Medical Scientist Training Program, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. andreasr@stanford.edu
authors: Andreas M
authors: AM
authors: Rauschecker
authors: Reno F
authors: RF
authors: Bowen
authors: Lee M
authors: LM
authors: Perry
authors: Alison M
authors: AM
authors: Kevan
authors: Robert F
authors: RF
authors: Dougherty
authors: Brian A
authors: BA
authors: Wandell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003657:Decision Making; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009039:Motion Perception / Q000502:physiology; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011601:Psychophysics; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D011932:Reading; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D014825:Vocabulary
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen