Anatomy of posterior pathways in reading: a reassessment

Contemporary accounts of the neurology of reading stem from Dejerine's original visual-verbal disconnection hypothesis of pure alexia. Reassessment of Dejerine's traditional formulations for posterior left hemisphere pathways in reading suggests that the occipital cortex-left angular gyrus-Wernicke's area scheme is undoubtedly oversimplified. The role of left angular gyrus cortex in reading is unsettled, and although clinically undefined, more inferior portions of the left temporal lobe may also contribute to the reading process. Nevertheless, to a surprising extent, the neuroanatomic edifice erected by Dejerine remains largely intact.