The effects of bilateral posterior parietal cortex tRNS on reading performance

According to cognitive neuroscience knowledge reading is based on a dual-stream model in which a phonological-dorsal stream (left temporo-parietal and inferior frontal areas) processes unfamiliar words and pseudowords, whereas an orthographic-ventral stream (left occipito-temporal and inferior frontal areas) processes known words. However, causal longitudinal, training, and pharmacological studies have suggested the critical role of visuo-spatial attention in reading development. In a double blind, crossover within-subjects experiment, we manipulated the neuromodulatory effect of a short-term bilateral stimulation of posterior parietal cortex (PPC) by using active and sham tRNS during reading tasks in a large sample of young adults. In contrast to the dual-stream model, we found that only word-reading performance improved after active bilateral PPC tRNS. These results support a neurobiological model of reading where performance of the orthographic-ventral stream is boosted by an efficient deployment of visuo-spatial attention from bilateral PPC stimulation.

Link: https://academic.oup.com/cercor/article-abstract/33/9/5538/6806163?redir...

Sara Bertoni, Sandro Franceschini, Gianluca Campana, Andrea Facoetti, The effects of bilateral posterior parietal cortex tRNS on reading performance, Cerebral Cortex, Volume 33, Issue 9, 1 May 2023, Pages 5538–5546, https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhac440