The neural network involving reading of Chinese words

Xuchu Weng, Ph.D.
Professor of Neuroscience & Psychology, Laboratory for Higher Brain Function
Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China　

Abstract:
In this presentation, I will report three lines of our recent experiments regarding the neural correlates of word reading in native Chinese speakers. First, I will show that laterality of brain activations for recognition of Chinese words is modulated by a number of experimental factors such as presentation modality, task difficulty, and familarity of stimuli.  Second, I will provide affirmative evidence for the involvment of the cerebellum in word reading, particularly during semantic tasks.  Finally, I will discuss a fundamental issue in the field, i.e., whether there are distinctive neural mechanisms for word reading in different writing systems.