Shocking findings about human readability

Scientists at Peking University (China) have incorporated images of brain scans of subjects with reading tests. Since then, they have discovered some areas of the brain that help people read.

Qinghua He, the author of the study, is currently studying postdoctoral at the USC Institute of Brain and Creativity (USA), saying: "Reading is a complex behavior, requires a smooth combination of many parts of the brain. different".

This study examines the correlation between reading ability and brain structure through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of more than 233 participants of the same age and education level (college students); right-handed (left-handed people use the left hemisphere to read) and have the same language (speaking Chinese, using the second language is English over 9 years).

First, the study collected data from 7 different reading tests of participants. The purpose is to explore three aspects of reading ability: phonological decoding ability (pronunciation ability); sound association (the ability to associate a new word with sound); and speed of speaking (how the participants quickly read aloud).

Based on this data, they conducted comparisons and contrast with the results of resonance imaging from participants

Professor Gui Xue, Beijing University, co-author of the study, said: "The results show that reading ability is supported by separate nervous system, relatively independent of general cognitive ability".

This finding opens up opportunities for individuals who have difficulty reading. Maybe they just need to train more for this particular part of the brain. In the near future, the team will learn how to improve the reading ability of each individual.

"Research will allow early diagnosis of people who have difficulty reading and developing effective treatments," Xue said.