Work

A compositional neural code in high-level visual cortex can explain jumbled word reading

Year: 2020

Type: article

Abstract: We read jubmled wrods effortlessly, but the neural correlates of this remarkable ability remain poorly understood. We hypothesized that viewing a jumbled word activates a visual representation that is compared to known words. To test this hypothesis, we devised a purely visual model in which neurons tuned to letter shape respond to longer strings in a compositional manner by linearly summing letter responses. We found that dissimilarities between letter strings in this model can explain human performance on visual search, and responses to jumbled words in word reading tasks. Brain imaging revealed that viewing a string activates this letter-based code in the lateral occipital (LO) region and that subsequent comparisons to stored words are consistent with activations of the visual word form area (VWFA). Thus, a compositional neural code potentially contributes to efficient reading.

Source: eLife

DOI: 10.7554/elife.54846

Authors: Aakash Agrawal, KVS Hari, SP Arun

Institution: Indian Institute of Science Bangalore

Language: English

Topic: Reading and Literacy Development

Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,500

Funders: Indian Institute of Science, Wellcome Trust, Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, India, The Wellcome Trust DBT India Alliance