What happens in the brain when we read, according to science

German scientists compiled data from more than 150 studies that observed brain activity during this process. What the results revealed and the implications for health.

                                                                                        

 Reading is essential for academic, personal, and professional development, as it facilitates access to knowledge and is essential for education and daily activities. This process activates various areas of the brain.

Recently, a team of experts from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences reviewed numerous previous studies to provide a clearer view of the general patterns of brain activity during reading.

As the experts wrote, “Literacy is key to social relationships, education, and employment, and significantly influences well-being and mental health.”

For their study, which was published in Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, Sabrina Turker, Beatrice Fumagalli, and other experts addressed the brain regions and processes involved in different types of reading. They compiled data from more than 150 studies that analyzed brain activation during various reading tasks. This meta-analysis confirmed the importance of left-brain regions and also highlighted the role of the cerebellum in reading.

As part of their research, the specialists reviewed more than 150 studies that analyzed brain activation patterns in people reading different types of texts in a variety of alphabetic languages. Participants in these studies read letters, nonwords or pseudowords, words, sentences, and whole texts using various brain imaging techniques. What they found is revealing: brain activation in response to each type of reading is highly specific and localized.

The authors postulated: “We found high processing specificity for reading letters, words, sentences, and texts exclusively in left-hemisphere areas.”

“Subregions within the left inferior frontal gyrus showed differential involvement in reading words and pseudowords, while subregions within the left temporo-occipital cortex showed differential involvement in reading words and sentences,” they added in the paper.

                                                                                         

Upon further investigation, the researchers found that reading letters activated a small brain region in the left occipital cortex (LOC), while more complex texts, such as words, sentences, and whole texts, also engaged additional brain areas. This differentiation in activated areas reflects the level of complexity of the cognitive task involved in reading different types of content.

One of the most interesting revelations of this study was the difference in brain activation between reading aloud and mentally.

According to the findings, reading aloud, or what the researchers called open reading, activated not only areas related to language processing, but also brain regions linked to movement and sound. In contrast, when participants read mentally, that is, without vocalizing, the brain relied more on multiple demand regions.

“Direct comparison of overt and covert reading revealed a greater likelihood of activation in auditory and motor regions during the former, and a more consistent reliance on multiple demand regions during the latter,” the experts reviewed.

                                                                                           

In turn, the study observed that silent reading of words and pseudowords showed more consistent activation in the left orbitofrontal, cerebellar, and temporal cortices, while lexical decisions, such as identifying words or meanings, activated brain areas relevant to decision-making, with a bilateral response in the inferior frontal and insular regions.

The results of this analysis contribute to a deeper understanding of the neural architectures involved in different types of reading, according to the experts. This information is very useful for future research, especially those aimed at understanding the neural processes behind reading difficulties, such as in the cases of people diagnosed with dyslexia or other learning disorders, as they assessed.

Furthermore, this meta-analysis, as reported by the authors, which explores the brain areas activated by different types of reading, provides a solid foundation for future studies on the neuroscience of reading and opens the door to new forms of support and treatment for those experiencing difficulties with this important cognitive skill.