Scientists at Johns Hopkins University have discovered two different networks in the brain that work together and are activated when we read. They integrate the meanings of individual words to obtain and understand a more complex meaning. The results of the study were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
As part of the study, the scientists monitored the neural activity of patients with intracranial electrodes implanted as they read ordinary sentences and sentences devoid of meaning or structure.
Based on these recordings, they identified two brain networks that play a key role in the reading process. A network includes an area in the frontal lobe of the brain that sends signals to the temporal lobe where there is gradual activation as a person constructs complex meanings in a sentence. The second network is located in another part of the temporal lobe – it sends a signal to the frontal lobe, allowing you to understand the content of the text.
According to the study’s authors, the discovery will help find new approaches to treating disorders that cause a person to have trouble reading texts.