The<unk>  <unk>  is a functional region of the left fusiform gyrus and surrounding cortex (right-hand side being part of the fusiform face<unk>  that is hypothesized to be involved in identifying<unk> s and letters from lower-level shape images, prior to association with phonology or semantics. Because the alphabet is relatively new in human evolution, it is unlikely that this region developed as a result of selection pressures related to<unk>  recognition per se; however, this region may be highly specialized for certain types of shapes that occur naturally in the environment and are therefore likely to surface within written language. In addition to<unk>  recognition, the<unk>  may participate in higher-level processing of<unk>  meaning. In 2003, functional imaging experiments raised doubts about whether the<unk>  is an actual region. This skepticism has largely disappeared; however, there seems to be much variability in its size. An<unk>  that may fall within this mental organ in one person may fall outside it in someone else Anomalies in the activation of this region have been linked to reading disorders. If the<unk>  is subjected to a surgical lesion, the patient will suffer a clear impairment to reading ability but not to recognition of objects, names, or faces or to general language abilities. There will be some improvement over the next six months, but reading will still take twice as long as it had before surgery. Electrical brain stimulation to the<unk>  causes reading-specific disruptions and can cause letter misperception.
Visual word form area
Language center
Supplementary eye field
Primary sensory areas
Auditory cortex
Visual temporal integration
Sensory cortex
Visual object recognition 