Development of brain networks for reading

How does the brain develop when children enter school and are exposed to new cognitive tasks such as reading? Research has shown that the development of certain regions of the brain, such as the Visual Word Form Area (VWFA) are dependent on experience with cognitive tasks like reading. The cerebellum has also been found to be intimately related to the development of cognitive skills in children. This research project is aimed at understanding whether varying reading abilities are linked to differential developmental trajectories of brain regions such as the VWFA and the cerebellum at the age when children are beginning to meet new cognitive challenges in school. Specifically, the project tries to understand the link between children's performance in the RAN (Rapid Automatized Naming) test, often referred to as a microcosm of reading, and neurodevelopment. Understanding how reading test scores relate to brain development may be a step towards better characterizing and diagnosing reading disorders.