RT Journal Article
T1 Impact of literacy on the functional connectivity of vision and language related networks
A1 López-Barroso, Diana
A1 Thiebaut de Schotten, Michel
A1 Morais, José
A1 Kolinsky, Régine
A1 Braga, Lucia W.
A1 Guerreiro-Tauil, Alexandre
A1 Dehaene, Stanislas
A1 Cohen, Laurent
K1 Left fronto-parietal network
K1 Functional connectivity
K1 Independent component analysis
K1 Literacy
K1 Visual word form area
K1 Language
K1 Alfabetización
K1 Lenguaje
K1 VWFA
K1 Lectura
K1 Percepción visual
AB Learning to read leads to functional and structural changes in cortical brain areas related to vision and language. Previous evidence suggests that the Visual Word Form Area (VWFA), a region devoted to the recognition of letter strings in literate persons, acts as an interface between both systems. While different studies have performed univariate analyses to study the effects of literacy on brain function, little is known about its impact on whole functional networks, especially when literacy is acquired during adulthood. We investigated functional connectivity in three groups of adults with different literacy status: illiterates, ex-illiterates (i.e., who learned to read during adulthood), and literates (i.e., who learned to read in childhood). We used a data-driven, multivariate whole brain approach (Independent Component Analysis [ICA]) combined with a region of interest (ROI) analysis in order to explore the functional connectivity of the VWFA with four ICA networks related to vision and language functions. ICA allowed for the identification of four networks of interest: left fronto-parietal, auditory, medial visual and lateral visual functional networks, plus a control right fronto-parietal network. We explored the effects literacy on the connectivity between the VWFA and these networks, trying furthermore to disentangle the roles of reading proficiency and age of acquisition (i.e., literacy status) in these changes. Results showed that functional connectivity between the VWFA and the left fronto-parietal and lateral visual networks increased and decreased, respectively, with literacy. Moreover, the functional coupling of the VWFA and the auditory network decreased with literacy. This study provides novel insights in the mechanisms of reading acquisition and brain plasticity, putting to light the emergence of the VWFA as a bridge between language and vision. Further studies are required to characterize the interplay of proficiency and age of reading acquisition, and its relevance to models of brain plasticity across lifespan.
PB Elsevier
YR 2020
FD 2020-03-07
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10668/3763
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10668/3763
LA en
NO López-Barroso D, Thiebaut de Schotten M, Morais J, Kolinsky R, Braga LW, Guerreiro-Tauil A, et al. Impact of literacy on the functional connectivity of vision and language related networks. Neuroimage. 2020 Jun;213:116722
DS RISalud
RD Apr 6, 2025