Neuroimaging study of numbers, Chinese words, and English words reading in brain

Chemical engineering Professors in Taiwan commonly deliver lectures in mixed Chinese and English words accompanied with numbers. To the authors' best knowledge, no studies have explored how the brain of the same individual processes reading of numbers, Chinese words and English words. This work investigated brain activity by applying functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for selected University students. The activation patterns in brains revealed distinct behavior, which can be roughly divided into two categories. The Group A subjects focused on language words reading; conversely, showed little interest to numbers with no intention for further comprehension. The Group B subjects paid high attention to numbers, and activate numerous brain areas to interpret the therein hidden meanings. Meanwhile, these subjects largely ignored the Chinese or English words in reading. The two groups of subjects should be subjected to different curriculums in chemical engineering education. © 2009 Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers.