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Cited by 110Reading and Literacy DevelopmentNeurobiology of Language and BilingualismTactile and Sensory Interactions

A combined fMRI study of typed spelling and reading

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Purcell, Jeremy J., Napoliello, Eileen M., Eden, Guinevere F.·2011·NeuroImage
DOI 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.11.042PMC PMC3035733
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Abstract

In this study we employed a novel technique to examine the neural basis of written spelling by having subjects touch-type single words on an fMRI compatible QWERTY keyboard. Additionally, in the same group of participants we determined if task-related signal changes associated with typed spelling were also co-localized with or separate from those for reading. Of particular interest were the left inferior frontal gyrus, left inferior parietal lobe as well as an area in the left occipitotemporal cortex termed the Visual Word Form Area (VWFA), each of which have been associated with both spelling and reading. Our results revealed that typed spelling was associated with a left hemisphere network of regions which included the inferior frontal gyrus, intraparietal sulcus, inferior temporal/fusiform gyrus, as well as a region in the superior/middle frontal gyrus, near Exner's area. A conjunction analysis of activation associated with spelling and reading revealed a significant overlap in the left inferior frontal gyrus and occipitotemporal cortex. Interestingly, within the occipitotemporal cortex just lateral and superior to the VWFA we identified an area that was selectively associated with spelling, as revealed by a direct comparison of the two tasks. These results demonstrate that typed spelling activates a predominantly left hemisphere network, a subset of which is functionally relevant to both spelling and reading. Further analysis revealed that the left occipitotemporal cortex contains regions with both conjoint and dissociable patterns of activation for spelling and reading.

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  • Typing relies more heavily on executive and memory-related circuits.

    “Meanwhile, typing relies more heavily on executive and memory-related circuits, as evidenced by the findings of Purcell et al. [27] and Shah et al. (Table 2) [28].”

    From The Neuroscience Behind Writing: Handwriting vs. Typing—Who Wins the Battle? (2025) · cites this paper as [27]

    The Discussion (Medial Prefrontal Cortex; page unavailable) associates typed spelling with regions that may reflect executive task demands. The Introduction describes the graphemic buffer as a working-memory system, but says its processing is shared by typing and handwriting. The paper does not establish that typing relies more heavily on executive and memory-related circuits than handwriting. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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Authors
Purcell, J. J., Napoliello, E. M., & Eden, G. F.
Affiliations
Georgetown University (US)
Corresponding author
Eden, Guinevere F.
ORCID
Venue
NeuroImage
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2011-03
Volume
55
Issue
2
Pages
750-762
ISSN
1053-8119 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.11.042
PMC
PMC3035733
OpenAlex
W2034252132
Cited by
110
References
6
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 7
FWCI
10.27
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • NeuroImage (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • NICHD (R01HD056107)
  • NIDCD (F31DC009545)
  • NSF (SBE 0541953)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Reading and Literacy Development
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Tactile and Sensory Interactions
Keywords
reading, left inferior frontal gyrus, inferior parietal lobule, intraparietal sulcus, occipitotemporal cortex, visual word form area
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Brain Mapping, Cerebral Cortex, Female, Humans, Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Reading, Writing, Young Adult

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