TY - JOUR
T1 - Illiteracy
T2 - the neuropsychology of cognition without reading
AU - Ardila, Alfredo
AU - Bertolucci, Paulo H.
AU - Braga, Lucia W.
AU - Castro-Caldas, Alexander
AU - Judd, Tedd
AU - Kosmidis, Mary H.
AU - Matute, Esmeralda
AU - Nitrini, Ricardo
AU - Ostrosky-Solis, Feggy
AU - Rosselli, Monica
PY - 2010/12
Y1 - 2010/12
N2 - Illiterates represent a significant proportion of the world's population. Written language not only plays a role in mediating cognition, but also extends our knowledge of the world. Two major reasons for illiteracy can be distinguished, social (e.g., absence of schools), and personal (e.g., learning difficulties). Without written language, our knowledge of the external world is partially limited by immediate sensory information and concrete environmental conditions. Literacy is significantly associated with virtually all neuropsychological measures, even though the correlation between education and neuropsychological test scores depends on the specific test. The impact of literacy is reflected in different spheres of cognitive functioning. Learning to read reinforces and modifies certain fundamental abilities, such as verbal and visual memory, phonological awareness, and visuospatial and visuomotor skills. Functional imaging studies are now demonstrating that literacy and education influence the pathways used by the brain for problem-solving. The existence of partially specific neuronal networks as a probable consequence of the literacy level supports the hypothesis that education impacts not only the individual's day-to-day strategies, but also the brain networks. A review of the issues related to dementia in illiterates is presented, emphasizing that the association between the education level and age-related cognitive changes and education remains controversial. The analysis of the impact of illiteracy on neuropsychological test performance represents a crucial approach to understanding human cognition and its brain organization under normal and abnormal conditions.
AB - Illiterates represent a significant proportion of the world's population. Written language not only plays a role in mediating cognition, but also extends our knowledge of the world. Two major reasons for illiteracy can be distinguished, social (e.g., absence of schools), and personal (e.g., learning difficulties). Without written language, our knowledge of the external world is partially limited by immediate sensory information and concrete environmental conditions. Literacy is significantly associated with virtually all neuropsychological measures, even though the correlation between education and neuropsychological test scores depends on the specific test. The impact of literacy is reflected in different spheres of cognitive functioning. Learning to read reinforces and modifies certain fundamental abilities, such as verbal and visual memory, phonological awareness, and visuospatial and visuomotor skills. Functional imaging studies are now demonstrating that literacy and education influence the pathways used by the brain for problem-solving. The existence of partially specific neuronal networks as a probable consequence of the literacy level supports the hypothesis that education impacts not only the individual's day-to-day strategies, but also the brain networks. A review of the issues related to dementia in illiterates is presented, emphasizing that the association between the education level and age-related cognitive changes and education remains controversial. The analysis of the impact of illiteracy on neuropsychological test performance represents a crucial approach to understanding human cognition and its brain organization under normal and abnormal conditions.
KW - Cognitive abilities
KW - Dementia
KW - Education
KW - Illiteracy
KW - Neuropsychology tests
KW - Schooling
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=78649303731&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/arclin/acq079
DO - 10.1093/arclin/acq079
M3 - Article
C2 - 21075867
AN - SCOPUS:78649303731
SN - 1873-5843
VL - 25
SP - 689
EP - 712
JO - Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology
JF - Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology
IS - 8
ER -