Reading is not only a sequential process, but also a parallel, bottom-up, and top-down mental process, which humans created 5,400 years ago. This period is too short for new specialized anatomical structures to have been able to develop in the brain. Instead, the analysis and recognition of letters through a »recycling« process was established in the part of the cerebral cortex that, in terms of the evolution, was initially responsible for the recognition of expected and unexpected objects in the environment, and especially for facial analysis. This refers to the brain’s letterbox, which forms a bridge between the visual and linguistic systems. These structures can be effectively shown using state-of-the-art brain imaging and electrophysiological methods. They are primarily connected with the white matter (myelin), a mix of connections between various parts of the brain, which enhances many neurological functions and is more strongly expressed in people that read more.
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