title: Language context modulates reading route: an electrical neuroimaging study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The orthographic depth hypothesis (Katz and Feldman, 1983) posits that different reading routes are engaged depending on the type of grapheme/phoneme correspondence of the language being read. Shallow orthographies with consistent grapheme/phoneme correspondences favor encoding via non-lexical pathways, where each grapheme is sequentially mapped to its corresponding phoneme. In contrast, deep orthographies with inconsistent grapheme/phoneme correspondences favor lexical pathways, where phonemes are retrieved from specialized memory structures. This hypothesis, however, lacks compelling empirical support. The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of orthographic depth on reading route selection using a within-subject design.
  
  
  METHODS
  We presented the same pseudowords (PWs) to highly proficient bilinguals and manipulated the orthographic depth of PW reading by embedding them among two separated German or French language contexts, implicating respectively, shallow or deep orthography. High density electroencephalography was recorded during the task.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The topography of the ERPs to identical PWs differed 300-360 ms post-stimulus onset when the PWs were read in different orthographic depth context, indicating distinct brain networks engaged in reading during this time window. The brain sources underlying these topographic effects were located within left inferior frontal (German > French), parietal (French > German) and cingular areas (German > French).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reading in a shallow context favors non-lexical pathways, reflected in a stronger engagement of frontal phonological areas in the shallow versus the deep orthographic context. In contrast, reading PW in a deep orthographic context recruits less routine non-lexical pathways, reflected in a stronger engagement of visuo-attentional parietal areas in the deep versus shallow orthographic context. These collective results support a modulation of reading route by orthographic depth.
authors.affiliation: Neurology Unit, Laboratory for Cognitive and Neurological Sciences, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Science, University of Fribourg Fribourg, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Karin A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Buetler
authors.affiliation: Neurology Unit, Laboratory for Cognitive and Neurological Sciences, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Science, University of Fribourg Fribourg, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: de León Rodríguez
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Laganaro
authors.affiliation: Division of Cognitive and Restorative Neurology, Departments of Neurology and Clinical Research, Inselspital, University Hospital, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Müri
authors.affiliation: Neurology Unit, Laboratory for Cognitive and Neurological Sciences, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Science, University of Fribourg Fribourg, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Lucas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Spierer
authors.affiliation: Neurology Unit, Laboratory for Cognitive and Neurological Sciences, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Science, University of Fribourg Fribourg, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jean-Marie
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Annoni
keywords: EEG; ERP; bilingual; dual-route model; grapheme-phoneme conversion; orthographic depth; pseudoword; reading