Event-related potentials in the "Triangle" framework of reading and developmental dyslexia: a systematic review

Event-related potentials (ERPs) are widely used to investigate the neural underpinnings of reading and developmental dyslexia, yet there are significant disparities in methodological approach. This poses a challenge for generalizability and interpretation. This systematic review synthesizes studies that investigate ERPs associated with cognitive-linguistic correlates of reading and dyslexia in the "triangle" framework of reading: orthography, phonology, and semantics. Using the 2020 PRISMA guidelines, we performed title/abstract and full-text screening of 1,286 papers identified via database search. Included studies (N = 56) were categorized in terms of the cognitive-linguistic processes examined: (1) orthographic (including lexico-orthographic processing), (2) phonological, (3) orthographic-phonological (integration/processing), and/or (4) semantic. This comprehensive review synthesizes prominent ERP components and time windows that characterize these processes. Across studies, individuals with dyslexia generally exhibit atypical ERP responses during orthography and phonology, whereas results for semantic processing are ambiguous and underexplored. Nonetheless, inconsistencies across studies were noted, and quality assessment indicates a greater need for transparency in methods/results reporting, that is critical for reproducible sciences in dyslexia research.