Learning Chinese induces altered resting-state functional connectivity relating to orthographic and phonological processing in adult alphabetic language speakers.

Abstract

The complex relationship between Chinese characters and their pronunciations presents challenges for alphabetic language speakers learning Chinese. While previous studies have demonstrated brain structural alterations, little is known about functional neuroplasticity after prolonged Chinese learning. Here, we examined its impact on the resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) associated with orthographic and phonological processing. We acquired RS-fMRI data from 17 Indian students who had learned Chinese for 3.24 years (learned group, LG) and 21 university students (control group, CG). We then selected brain regions related to Chinese orthographic and phonological processing, applied seed-based connectivity analysis to generate RSFC maps, and examined the between-group differences. We found that, compared with those in the CG, stronger RSFC in the LG was associated with the fusiform gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), precuneus, middle occipital gyrus, insula, and cerebellum related to Chinese orthographic processing. Increased RSFC between the IFG and putamen was also observed for phonological processing in the LG. Moreover, we found a positive correlation between stronger RSFC related to orthographic processing and higher accuracy in Chinese character recognition. These findings suggest that increased neural integration between relevant functional regions plays key roles in Chinese orthography and phonology processing for alphabetic language speakers.