Dr. James R. Booth

Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Educational Neuroscience,
Vanderbilt University

Talk Title: How does the brain learn to read?

Abstract: Reading is fundamental to human society and the costs of illiteracy are enormous. In this lecture, I will discuss our attempts to uncover the mechanisms underlying the development of our amazing abilities to read. I will argue that general principles of brain development are key to reaching a deeper understanding in this field of inquiry. These principles suggest increases across development in (1) the specialization of brain regions for different computations and (2) the interaction between brain regions through enhanced connectivity. I will also review evidence suggesting that our growing knowledge of typical brain development is relevant for understanding why approximately 6% of children have reading disabilities. Finally, I will discuss our attempts at using brain imaging in clinical applications.

The CCBBI Talk Series is open to all. Come join us Friday, February 7th, 2019 from 1-2pm in PS 35. The presentation will be live-streamed and recorded in collaboration with the OnNeuro platform, check it out here!