Bridging reading and attention through connectivity with the frontal-eye-fields

Attentional processes are crucial to successful reading, and theories of dyslexia propose that dysfunctional attention networks may contribute to the observed reading deficits. The goals of the study were to localize a region of the frontal-eye-field (FEF) involved in interactive reading × attention processing and examine its connectivity with regions in the reading and attention networks, given its known role in attentional processes and theorized role in reading. In Experiment 1, we revisited the results of our previous hybrid reading and attention study (Ekstrand, Neudorf, Kress, & Borowsky., 2019). In this case, we observed a previously unreported reading × attention interaction in BOLD intensity in the ventrolateral portion of Brodmann’s Area 6 (A6vl), which corresponded to the FEF. In Experiment 2, we used Human Connectome Project diffusion data to examine the connectivity profile of the A6vl. We observed high communicability between the A6vl and basal ganglia (which plays a role in spatial neglect and rhythm processing of syllables). These connections appeared to support tract clusters which terminated in the cerebellar Crus I/II (which play roles in eye movements and semantics) and cerebral superior parietal lobule (which plays a role in attentional orienting and phonetic decoding). The results of this study suggest the A6vl-FEF supports reading and attention processes. These results will help inform research on the links between reading and attention, and may have implications for developing treatments to improve reading in individuals with dyslexia.