It often seems that reading is pretty simple - especially if you naturally love to read.
In fact, it requires not one, but two networks in your brain to read, a new study claims.
To understand, why, read further.
The complex meanings
A study at UTHealth Houston revealed that reading a sentence activates two distinct brain networks that work together to derive complex meanings from individual words.
When you think that you understand double meanings subconsciously, you actually use more than one network to process the information.
Led by Oscar Woolnough and Nitin Tandon, the research used implanted electrodes in epilepsy patients to analyze brain activity while reading regular sentences, "Jabberwocky" sentences (nonsense words with correct grammar), and word/nonsense word lists.
They identified two networks—one involving frontal and temporal lobes for building complex meaning, and the other connecting temporal and frontal lobes for contextual comprehension.
It can potentially help people with dyslexia
Understanding these processes could aid dyslexia treatment, benefiting about 15% of the U.S. population.
