More Than Words: a Common Neural Basis for Reading and Naming Deficits in Developmental Dyslexia?

Dyslexic individuals show subtle impairments in naming pictures of objects in addition to their difficulties with reading. The present study investigated whether word reading and picture naming deficits in developmental dyslexia can be reduced to a common neurological impairment. Eight dyslexic subjects, impaired on measures of reading, spelling and naming speed, were matched for age and general ability with 10 control subjects. Participants were scanned using PET during two experimental conditions: reading words and naming pictures in the form of corresponding line drawings. In addition, two high-level baseline conditions were used to control for visual and articulatory processes. Relative to the control group, the dyslexic participants showed reduced activation in a left occipitotemporal area during both word reading and picture naming. This was the case even in the context of intact behavioural performance during scanning. Abnormal activation in this region, as reported previously for reading, is therefore not specific to orthographic decoding but may reflect a more general impairment in integrating phonology and visual information. Our investigation points to a common neurological basis for deficits in word reading and picture naming in developmental dyslexia.