We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to map the neural systems involved in reading Chinese in 125 participants 6–74 years old to examine two theoretical issues: how brain structure and function are related in the context of the lifetime neural development of human cognition and whether the neural network for reading is universal or different across languages. Our findings showed that a common network of left frontal and occipital regions typically involved in reading Chinese was recruited across all participants. Crucially, activation in left mid-inferior frontal regions, fusiform and striate–extrastriate sites, premotor cortex, right inferior frontal gyrus, bilateral insula, and supplementary motor area all showed linearly decreasing changes with age. These findings differ from previous findings on alphabetic reading development and suggest that early readers at age 6–7 are already using the same cortical network to process printed words as adults, though the connections among these regions are modulated by reading proficiency, and cortical regions for reading are tuned by experience toward reduced and more focused activation. This fMRI study has demonstrated, for the first time, the neurodevelopment of reading across the lifespan and suggests that learning experience, instead of pre-existing brain structures, determines reading acquisition.

中文翻译：

---

与阅读中文相关的神经发育的终生功能磁共振成像研究

我们使用功能磁共振成像（fMRI）绘制了65岁至74岁的125位参与者阅读中文所涉及的神经系统图，以研究两个理论问题：在人类认知的终生神经发育过程中脑结构与功能之间的关系以及用于阅读的神经网络是通用的还是跨语言的不同。我们的研究结果表明，所有参与者都招募了通常参与汉语阅读的左额叶和枕骨区域的公共网络。至关重要的是，左中下额叶区域，梭形和纹状体-过度表达部位，前运动皮层，右下额回，双侧岛突和辅助运动区的激活均随年龄呈线性下降趋势。这些发现与先前关于字母阅读发展的发现不同，并且表明6-7岁的早期读者已经使用与成人相同的皮质网络来处理印刷文字，尽管这些区域之间的联系受到阅读能力的调节，而皮质区域对于阅读是根据经验调整的，以减少和集中注意力。这项功能性MRI研究首次证明了整个阅读过程中神经的发育，并表明学习经验而不是预先存在的大脑结构决定了阅读的获得。皮质区域和阅读区域可根据经验进行调整，以减少激活和集中注意力。这项功能性MRI研究首次证明了整个阅读过程中神经的发育，并表明学习经验而不是预先存在的大脑结构决定了阅读的获得。皮质区域和阅读区域可根据经验进行调整，以减少激活和集中注意力。这项功能性MRI研究首次证明了整个阅读过程中神经的发育，并表明学习经验而不是预先存在的大脑结构决定了阅读的获得。