Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31555732›Full record

ArticleScience advances2019

Learning to read recycles visual cortical networks without destruction.

Alexis Hervais-Adelman, Uttam Kumar, Ramesh K Mishra, Viveka N Tripathi, Anupam Guleria, Jay P Singh, Frank Eisner, Falk Huettig

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Science advances, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
28citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

28 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Article
  4. Faces and Word Forms Can Coexist in the Right Ventro-occipital Temporal Cortex-Evidence from Left-Hemisphere Perinatal Stroke.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience · 2026
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. The Enhanced Literate Mind Hypothesis.Topics in cognitive science · 2025
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Alexis Hervais-AdelmanNeurobiology of Language Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Wundtlaan 1, 6525 XD Nijmegen, Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-5232-626X
Uttam KumarCentre of Biomedical Research, Raibareli Road, Lucknow, 226014 Uttar Pradesh, India.
Ramesh K MishraUniversity of Hyderabad, Prof. C.R. Rao Road, Gachibowli, Hyderabad 500046, Telangana, India.
Viveka N TripathiCentre for Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences, University of Allahabad, University Road, Old Katra, Prayagraj, 211002 Uttar Pradesh, India.
Anupam GuleriaCentre of Biomedical Research, Raibareli Road, Lucknow, 226014 Uttar Pradesh, India.ORCID 0000-0002-4158-2241
Jay P SinghCentre for Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences, University of Allahabad, University Road, Old Katra, Prayagraj, 211002 Uttar Pradesh, India.ORCID 0000-0002-5685-8124
Frank EisnerDonders Institute, Radboud University, Montessorilaan 3, 6525 HR Nijmegen, Netherlands.
Falk HuettigPsychology of Language Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Wundtlaan 1, 6525 XD Nijmegen, Netherlands.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Learning to read is associated with the appearance of an orthographically sensitive brain region known as the visual word form area. It has been claimed that development of this area proceeds by impinging upon territory otherwise available for the processing of culturally relevant stimuli such as faces and houses. In a large-scale functional magnetic resonance imaging study of a group of individuals of varying degrees of literacy (from completely illiterate to highly literate), we examined cortical responses to orthographic and nonorthographic visual stimuli. We found that literacy enhances responses to other visual input in early visual areas and enhances representational similarity between text and faces, without reducing the extent of response to nonorthographic input. Thus, acquisition of literacy in childhood recycles existing object representation mechanisms but without destructive competition.

Indexed as

Magnetic Resonance ImagingPhotic StimulationVisual CortexAdultFemaleHumansLearningMale

Identifiers

PMID31555732
PMCPMC6750915

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.