RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Progress in elementary school reading linked to growth of cortical responses to familiar letter combinations within visual word forms
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2022.11.08.515712
DO 10.1101/2022.11.08.515712
A1 Fang Wang
A1 Blair Kaneshiro
A1 Elizabeth Y. Toomarian
A1 Radhika S. Gosavi
A1 Lindsey R. Hasak
A1 Suanna Moron
A1 Quynh Trang H. Nguyen
A1 Anthony M. Norcia
A1 Bruce D. McCandliss
YR 2023
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2023/05/16/2022.11.08.515712.abstract
AB Learning to read depends on the ability to extract precise details of letter combinations, which convey critical information that distinguishes tens of thousands of visual word forms. To support fluent reading skill, one crucial neural developmental process is one’s brain sensitivity to statistical constraints inherent in combining letters into visual word forms. To test this idea in early readers, we tracked the impact of two years of schooling on within-subject longitudinal changes in cortical responses to different properties of words (coarse tuning for print, and fine tuning to visual word forms and whole word representations) and their growth in reading skill. Three stimulus contrasts—words versus pseudofonts, words versus pseudowords, pseudowords versus nonwords—were presented while high-density EEG Steady-State Visual Evoked Potentials (SSVEPs, n=31) were recorded. Internalization of abstract visual word form structures over two years of reading experience resulted in a near doubling of SSVEP amplitude, with increasing left lateralization. Longitudinal changes in brain responses to such word form structural information were linked to the growth in reading, especially in rapid automatic naming for letters. No such changes were observed for whole word representation processing and coarse tuning for print. Collectively, these findings indicate that sensitivity to visual word form structure develops rapidly through exposure to print and is linked to growth in reading skill.Research HighlightsLongitudinal changes in cognitive responses to coarse print tuning, visual word from structure, and whole word representation were examined in early readers.Visual word form structure processing demonstrated striking patterns of growth with nearly doubled in EEG amplitude and increased left lateralization.Longitudinal changes in brain responses to visual word form structural information were linked to the growth in rapid automatic naming for letters.No longitudinal changes were observed for whole word representation processing and coarse tuning for print.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.RCAReliable Components AnalysisSSVEPsteady-state visual evoked potentials