A recycling process takes place in the brain as we learn to read: areas developed for the recognition of complex objects, such as faces, are dedicated to translating letters into language; becoming some regions of our visual system in interfaces between visual and language systems. Thus, a team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics together with experts from the Center for Biomedical Research (CBMR) in Lucknow and the University of Hyderabad (India) have shown in a group of completely illiterate and around 30 Indian women years of age, that their brain was transformed in an extraordinary way when they learned to read and write for the first time in their lives. In conclusion, reading causes very profound changes in our brain, even in adulthood.
“ Until now it was assumed that these changes were limited to the outer layer of the brain , the cortex, which is known to adapt quickly to new challenges,” says Falk Huettig, leader of the work.
The illiteracy rate in India is 39%
Poverty in this country still limits access to education in some parts of India, especially for women, hence the researchers decided to opt for female participants in their 30s and completely illiterate. In 6 months of training, his reading level was remarkable.
“Although it is very difficult for us to learn a new language, it seems to be much easier for us to learn to read, the adult brain is surprisingly flexible, ” explains Huettig.
What happens in the adult brain when an illiterate person learns to read and write?
In contrast to the previous assumptions , the learning process leads to a surprising reorganization that extends to deep brain structures in the thalamus and brainstem , changing brain regions that are evolutionarily very old and even central parts of the brain from mice and other mammalian brains.
“These deep structures help our visual cortex to filter important information, even before consciously perceive. We believe these brain systems refine their communication increasingly to the time students become more and more proficient in reading. This it could explain why experienced readers move more efficiently through a text, “says Huettig.
A new take on dyslexia
The impressive learning achievements of the experiment’s volunteers not only give illiterate adults hope, but also shed new light on the possible cause of reading disorders such as dyslexia. “That is why only studies that evaluate children before they begin to learn to read and continue for several years can bring clarity about the origins of reading disorders,” concludes Huettig.
The study has been published in the journal Science Advances.
Reference: MA Skeide at Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany el al., “Learning to read cortico-subcortical cross-talk alters in the visual system of illiterates,” Science Advances (2017). DOI: 10.1126 / sciadv.1602612
