On the Neural Bases of the Interface between Reading and writing: Implications of Lesion Data from English and Japanese speakers

Poster Session A - Saturday, April 13, 2024, 2:30 – 4:30 pm EDT, Sheraton Hall ABC

Venu Balasubramanian^1,4 (venugopal.balasubramanian@shu.edu), Kaitlyn Weber^1,4, Sarah Zimmer^1,4, Ava Amiano^1,4, Jayashree Balaraman^2,4, Maha Aldera³; ¹Seton Hall University, IPHS campus, Nutley, NJ, ²Rensslaer Polytechnic Institute, NYC, ³Princess Nourah University, Riyad, Saudi Arabia, ⁴Communication Neuroscience and Aphasia Research Laboratory (CNARL)

Introduction. The syndrome of alexia with agraphia (AWA) was reportedly caused by the loss of optical images of letters (DeJerine, 1890). Thus, the study of AWA syndrome might potentially contribute to our understanding of the neural bases of the interface between reading and writing. The phonology-orthography relation in French and English is similar, but in Japanese it is quite complex because of the presence of Kana (phono-syllabic) and Kanji (whole word) systems. Hence, a comparative study of AWA in English and Japanese speakers will offer new insights into the nature of the neural interface. Method. A systematic scoping review was done. AWA case reports from both linguistic groups, but published in English between 1980 and 2023, were identified (English=20, Japanese=8). Procedure: 1. Analyses of the sites of lesions associated with AWA syndromes in English and Japanese subjects, and 2. Characteristics of alexia-agraphia combination in each case. Results and conclusions: Nine different sites of lesions were found in English speakers with AWA. Multiple lesion sites support the view that the components of the neural circuitry that subserves the interface between reading and writing are spatially distributed, within the ventral and dorsal stream-related structures, as well as in thalamus and cerebellum. The data from Japanese AWA cases are very limited. AWA for Kanji is reported following left hippocampal and left posterior inferior temporal cortex hyper perfusion. Further studies using appropriate imaging methods (fMRI, DTI), might throw light on the influence of writing systems on the interface between reading and writing.

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