Preliterate symbolic language processing sets the neural stage for learning to read

Abstract Formal writing is evolutionarily recent, yet the brains of literate adults contain regions - the OTS-words subregions - that respond more strongly to written text than other stimuli. We tested a novel solution to this multi-disciplinary paradox: Does symbolic language processing, which emerged early in human history, lay the neural foundation for reading? In a longitudinal fMRI study, we followed 17 children through their first year of literacy training and related neural responses to text, symbolic language processing, and emerging reading skills over time. We found that middle OTS-words is engaged in symbolic language processing before children learn to read, and that this early engagement predicts later text selectivity and reading ability. These findings suggest that literacy builds on a pre-existing neural scaffold linking vision and language.