How Does Reading Affect the Brain?

Areas of the Brain

Poor reading comprehension might be a result of underactivation of the parietal lobe of the brain, a study published in 2008 by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggests (see Resources). Fifth graders assessed as "poor readers" were tested at three points: before any tutoring, after 100 hours of intensive work to improve their reading comprehension and 1 year later.

Changing Brain Patterns

Results showed that a year later, the reading comprehension improved and the area of the front of the parietal lobe becoming more active.
There are two areas of the brain that researchers have identified with being involved with reading: the left gyrus and the left superiorparietal lobe.

Durable Changes

"Poor readers" have a higher than normal activity in the inferior frontal and medial frontal cortices after intensive tutoring, suggesting that the readers called upon other areas of the brain for reading in an "effortful" way not seen in good readers.
This study suggests that in young children who are given remedial work, the brain is able to respond and maintain the changes in these areas even a year later, which helps readers improve their ability for comprehension.

Resources

• NIH Article on the Brain and Reading