Mapping the word reading circuitry in skilled and disabled readers

This chapter describes recent studies designed to generate data not only on the localization of reading-related brain activation, but also to examine patterns of interactions and dynamic trade-offs among these distributed reading-related systems. It begins with a review of relevant behavioral studies of component processing in fluent reading, with particular emphasis on the role of early (sublexical) phonology. It then discusses the current literature on the neurobiology of skilled and disabled reading, along with consideration of a series of recent studies that aim to capture brain correlates of component processing, again with an emphasis on phonological processing, adaptive learning, and complex trade-offs and interactions. Finally, it takes stock of what is considered to be crucial next steps (both technical and theoretical) in the emerging cognitive neuroscience of reading and its disorders.