How Reading Changes the Brain: Insights from Stanislas Dehaene
Reading is not a natural ability humans are born with. Unlike language, which develops instinctively in children exposed to speech, reading requires the brain to repurpose existing neural circuits to process written symbols. Stanislas Dehaene, a leading cognitive neuroscientist, has extensively studied how learning to read reshapes the brain’s architecture and function. His research offers critical insights into both the neuroscience of reading and the educational practices that best support literacy development.
The Brain’s Adaptation for Reading
Dehaene describes reading as a form of neuronal recycling. Since the human brain did not evolve specifically for reading, it adapts circuits originally used for object recognition, speech processing, and visual attention to form a network capable of decoding written language. This adaptation primarily occurs in the left hemisphere, involving several key regions:
Occipito-temporal region (Visual Word Form Area): This area, often called the brain’s “letterbox,” becomes specialized for recognizing letter shapes, word patterns, and familiar sequences. In skilled readers, this region enables rapid, automatic word recognition.
Temporoparietal region: This area is crucial for phonological decoding—matching letters to sounds. It supports the process of sounding out unfamiliar words and is highly active during early reading development.
Inferior frontal gyrus (Broca’s area): This region contributes to articulatory processing and grammatical analysis, supporting reading fluency and comprehension.
Dehaene’s research shows that as individuals learn to read, these areas develop stronger connections and become more efficient in processing written language.
How Reading Transforms Neural Circuits
Dehaene’s studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and other techniques demonstrate that learning to read not only activates these regions but physically reorganizes their function. For example, the visual word form area becomes increasingly selective for written words over other types of visual stimuli. The strength of connections between the occipito-temporal, temporoparietal, and frontal regions improves, enabling fluent reading and freeing cognitive resources for comprehension.
This neural transformation reflects the brain’s remarkable plasticity its ability to reorganize itself through learning and experience. Dehaene emphasizes that this transformation is shaped by the quality and type of instruction children receive. Effective reading instruction helps build the neural circuits that support fluency and comprehension, while poor instruction can leave these circuits underdeveloped.
Dyslexia and Brain Differences
Dehaene’s research has also illuminated the neural basis of dyslexia, a reading disorder that affects accurate and fluent word recognition. Brain imaging studies show that individuals with dyslexia often exhibit weaker or atypical activation in the reading network, particularly in the visual word form area and temporoparietal regions. These findings highlight the importance of early, evidence-based interventions that can help strengthen the necessary neural connections.
Educational Implications
Dehaene advocates for systematic, explicit instruction in phonics as a foundation for literacy development. His research supports the use of teaching methods that build phonemic awareness, decoding skills, and fluency, combined with rich exposure to language and comprehension strategies. Multisensory approaches engaging sight, sound, and movement can further enhance learning by activating multiple neural pathways.
The Approach at Kintess
At Kintess, the literacy program reflects Dehaene’s research on how reading changes the brain. The curriculum includes structured phonics, phonological awareness exercises, and guided reading practices designed to strengthen the reading network. Teachers use multisensory strategies such as tracing letters while saying their sounds aloud and using visual word walls to engage the brain’s reading circuits fully. Early screening tools identify students who may be at risk of reading difficulties, and personalized support plans are developed to ensure all learners build strong, confident reading skills. This neuroscience-informed approach helps every student at Kintess unlock the power of reading.