Evidence for highly selective neuronal tuning to whole words in the "visual word form area".

ABSTRACT: Theories of reading have posited the existence of a neural representation coding for whole real words (i.e., an orthographic lexicon), but experimental support for such a representation has proved elusive. Using fMRI rapid adaptation techniques, we provide evidence that the human left ventral occipitotemporal cortex (specifically the "visual word form area," VWFA) contains a representation based on neurons highly selective for individual real words, in contrast to current theories that posit a sublexical representation in the VWFA.

SUBMITTER: Glezer LS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2706007 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature