Semantic process in kana word reading: activation studies with positron emission tomography

Regional cerebral blood flow was measured by positron emission tomography to study changes during Japanese kana word or kana non-word reading tasks. The main cortical activation was observed bilaterally in the lateral and medial occipital gyri, and the left posterior inferior temporal area in both kana word and kana non-word tasks. In addition, the kana word task activated the right posterior inferior temporal area. Comparison of the mean regional cerebral blood flow increases revealed that the kana word task activated the left posterior inferior temporal area more than the kana non-word task, suggesting the role of the semantic process as well as the morphological one in this area.