Reading with the right hemisphere: evidence from transcranial magnetic stimulation

Although many patients with dominant hemisphere damage retain some reading ability, the anatomic substrate of the preserved reading remains controversial. We tested the hypothesis that the right hemisphere mediates the reading of some patients with acquired dyslexia by using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to assess the effect of transient cortical stimulation on reading. A patient with (partially recovered) pure alexia was asked to read aloud briefly presented words, half of which were shown in association with TMS of the right or left hemisphere. Consistent with the right hemisphere reading hypothesis, stimulation of the right but not the left hemisphere disrupted oral reading.