Brain activation in the processing of Chinese characters and words: A functional MRI study

Abstract

Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to identify the neural correlates of Chinese character and word reading. The Chinese stimuli were presented visually, one at a time. Subjects covertly generated a word that was semantically related to each stimulus. Three sorts of Chinese items were used: single characters having precise meanings, single characters having vague meanings, and two-character Chinese words. The results indicated that reading Chinese is characterized by extensive activity of the neural systems, with strong left lateralization of frontal (BAs 9 and 47) and temporal (BA 37) cortices and right lateralization of visual systems (BAs 17-19), parietal lobe (BA 3), and cerebellum. The location of peak activation in the left frontal regions coincided nearly completely both for vague- and precise-meaning characters as well as for two-character words, without dissociation in laterality patterns. In addition, left frontal activations were modulated by the ease of semantic retrieval. The present results constitute a challenge to the deeply ingrained belief that activations in reading single characters are right lateralized, whereas activations in reading two-character words are left lateralized.

The time course of brain activity in reading English and Chinese: An ERP study of Chinese bilinguals

“…Further, this result was consistent across frequency. Our finding of right occipital activation for Chinese characters may be compared with the fMRI results of Chee et al [2000], who found bilateral occipital activation in Chinese-English bilinguals, and with Tan et al [2000Tan et al [ , 2001, who found greater right than left activation in occipital cortex. (The bilateral pattern may reflect stronger English among Singapore bilinguals in Chee et al's [2000] study compared with Tan et al's [2000Tan et al's [ , 2001 sample of Chinese students studying in the United States.)…”

“…However, these studies have identified additional brain areas not often observed in alphabetic studies, especially left middle frontal areas (BA 9), additional right hemisphere cortical regions (BAs 47/ 45,7,40/39), and the right visual system [Tan et al, 2000[Tan et al, , 2001.…”

“…Recent studies of brain mapping of Chinese have added to the conclusion that universal mechanisms are involved in reading, observing most regions found in English reading [Chee et al, 1999[Chee et al, , 2000Tan et al, 2000Tan et al, , 2001. However, these studies have identified additional brain areas not often observed in alphabetic studies, especially left middle frontal areas (BA 9), additional right hemisphere cortical regions (BAs 47/ 45,7,40/39), and the right visual system [Tan et al, 2000[Tan et al, , 2001.…”

Neural correlates of numbers and mathematical terms

“…These two brain regions are critical for language processing (e.g., Chee et al, 1999;Petersen et al, 1990;Poldrack et al, 1999;Price et al, 1996;Tan et al, 2000). In terms of the role of the language areas in the processing of mathematical terms, two other issues need to be discussed.…”

“…According to the differential strategies explanation, numerical processing may involve fewer strategies than the word materials. Alternatively, this pattern of laterality reflects the classic left laterality for language processing and right laterality for numbers and spatial processing, particularly in the prefrontal cortex (Casasanto, 2003;Dehaene et al, 1993;Kuo et al, 2001Kuo et al, , 2004Tan et al, 2000Tan et al, , 2005Zorzi et al, 2002).…”