What happens in the brain when we read: in simple words
What happens in the brain when we read?
Why is the brain so adept at reading - from single letters to thick novels? Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Cognitive and Neuroscience decided to find out and conducted a large-scale meta-analysis of 163 neuroscience studies. The result is a detailed "map" of the reading brain and new findings that change our understanding of this process.
Details: Sabrina Turker et al, The 'reading' brain: Meta-analytic insights into functional activation during reading in adults, Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2025.106166.
The brain switches on "reading mode"
When we read, not only the usual language areas in the left hemisphere are activated, but also the cerebellum, which has hardly been associated with reading before. Letters involve a small area in the occipital lobe, but words, sentences and texts are more complex. The areas of the frontal and temporal cortex responsible for understanding meaning and context are connected.
📖 Reading aloud vs to yourself
Even the way you read affects the way your brain works. When reading aloud, the areas responsible for speech and movement are active - after all, we articulate and hear. And when we "silently read" (to ourselves), the areas of attention and internal dialogue are activated. So reading is not such a "silent" thing.
🧩 Pseudowords and brain acrobatics
Interestingly, when the brain encounters "pseudo-words" - like "slap" or "grinzer" - it works differently. Such words don't trigger associations, and the brain has to use non-standard processing pathways. This is particularly noticeable in the areas responsible for recognising shapes and sounds.
🧠 Reading is not just about language
The authors emphasise: reading is not exclusively a language function. It is a complex neural process involving memory, attention, motor skills, hearing and even decision-making. Surprisingly, the same areas are active when reading as when solving logical problems.
👀 Reading comics = multisensory load
Comics combine text, image, spatial structure and often emotional visual cues (flashbacks, facial expressions, sound imitations). This means that:
Areas responsible for language (left hemisphere, especially temporal and frontal cortex) process text;
Visual areas (occipital cortex) analyse colours, shapes and movement;
Semantic areas relate the meaning of the picture to the lines;
Frontal lobes help with interpreting the sequence of events (frame by frame).
🎭 The brain "plays theatre."
As comics often require the reader to "make sense" between panels, imagination and theory of mind (understanding the intentions of the characters) are activated, so the medial prefrontal cortex is also active.
🗯 Emotion + visual thinking
Loud words like BAM! or AAAA! are accompanied by emotionally charged pictures. This activates the amygdala and the visual emotion recognition zone, making reading comics closer to experiencing a film than a regular book.
🧒 Why do children perceive comics better?
Children don't have a fully developed language processing system yet, so the visual cues in comics help compensate for this. This is why comics are a powerful tool for teaching reading, especially with dyslexia.
📚 Why it's needed
These findings are particularly important for understanding disorders like dyslexia. The more we know about how the 'healthy' brain works when reading, the more accurately we can design assistance and training programmes for people with difficulties.