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Can learning to read and write change the brain organization? An electrophysiological study
Author(s) -
OstroskySolís F.,
García Miguel Arellano,
Pérez Martha
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
international journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.75
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1464-066X
pISSN - 0020-7594
DOI - 10.1080/00207590344000268
Subject(s) - psychology , lateralization of brain function , cognitive psychology , developmental psychology , stimulus (psychology) , brain activity and meditation , right hemisphere , audiology , neuroscience , electroencephalography , medicine
It has been suggested that learning how to read and write during childhood influences the functional organization of the adult human brain. In the present study, cortical evoked potentials (ERPs) to a probe click stimulus were used to assess the extent of activation of the two cerebral hemispheres during a verbal memory task in literate and illiterate subjects. Left‐hemisphere attenuation during the experimental condition was found in both groups. These findings suggest that for the illiterate subjects, left hemisphere predominantly mediates language processing. However, during the verbal memory task, significant intrahemispheric differences between groups were found at parieto‐temporal areas. Results seem to indicate that learning how to read and write demands an intrahemispheric specialization with an important activation of parieto‐temporal areas. These data support the view that the brains of illiterate subjects show patterns of activation that are different from those of literate subjects, thus reflecting that environmental conditions can influence brain organization.