Localizing the lexicon for reading aloud: Replication of a PET study using fMRI

FUNCTIONAL magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to investigate the neural basis of written word recognition in two normal subjects. With a 1.5T scanner and temporal surface coil, T2* gradient echo images were obtained while subjects read words aloud. As a control condition, subjects visualized false font strings and said the word 'range' each time such a string appeared. These two conditions were presented in an oscillatory pattern, alternating 30 s of each condition for a total of 4 min. Comparison of the two conditions using cross-correlation demonstrated strong activation in both subjects in the left posterior superior temporal gyrus, near the site predicted for the visual input lexicon by Dejerine and recently demonstrated by positron emission tomography.