Neural Representations of Typeface Tuning for Kanji Word Recognition

Neural Representations of Typeface Tuning for Kanji Word Recognition | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Neural Representations of Typeface Tuning for Kanji Word Recognition Yuna Uesugi, Sunao Iwaki This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6442753/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 5 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Adaptation to various typeface shapes is required to recognize words. However, how our visual word recognition system handles them is not fully understood. We investigated a distinct typeface tuning process that expresses the typeface structure embedded in a Japanese Kanji word to reduce shape variance across typefaces. We independently manipulated typeface structure (typeface-form) changes and word identity (word-form) changes and used fMRI with repetition suppression techniques to detect brain regions specific to changes in typeface-form and word-form. This study also investigated the effects of subjective typeface properties: exposure frequency and legibility on brain activity. The results indicated the following: 1) Regions responsive to the typeface-form were identified, with considerable repetition suppression in the bilateral middle fusiform gyrus (FuGs) during the sequential presentation of words in identical typefaces. 2) Regions responsive to word-form in the left ventral occipitotemporal cortex, right middle FuG, and hippocampus, which included typeface-form sensitive regions. These findings suggest that word appearance is tuned to the typeface-form by the concurrent two-type shape representations of each neural population involved in visual word processing. 3) No significant fMRI responses correlated with either typeface exposure frequency or legibility ratings, suggesting that regional activeness reflects objective typeface-forms rather than subjective perceptions. Biological sciences/Psychology Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Cognitive neuroscience Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Cognitive neuroscience/Perception Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Cognitive neuroscience/Reading Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Visual system/Extrastriate cortex Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Visual system/Object vision Visual word recognition Typeface Japanese Kanji word fMRI Repetition suppression Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers invited by journal 27 May, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 27 May, 2025 Editor invited by journal 21 Apr, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 21 Apr, 2025 First submitted to journal 14 Apr, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6442753","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":462883506,"identity":"c79284df-5c7b-4724-9ccc-d4a319b9a4ed","order_by":0,"name":"Yuna Uesugi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Tsukuba","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yuna","middleName":"","lastName":"Uesugi","suffix":""},{"id":462883507,"identity":"3bbeaa7a-9ccd-40b9-aea6-c481ea4311cc","order_by":1,"name":"Sunao Iwaki","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA2UlEQVRIie2RPwrCMBSH36NDlxwggrRXaHBx8DDt0k69gmRKl6JrQS/hDQoBXQquFZeKg4tDx6IdjAoiLombSL7twfv4vT8AFstPghygpB44b7WRMlLKs9lAuVNCxI2bfe4I2lXjZJ65pwYuE3AWGjMoUQzymqaFJIzjLAZclhoFUNSkpSmXBDnmErAIdYOh2PUtTXzpHswUUIPtSU3DQALj0BkogcTsOqwoW6ldiojHRLuLn2VHdl5PfW+7adq2n3hMd7HX0x9EAlSWxvigV7n0O8VisVj+nxvli0ahcBglRQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sunao","middleName":"","lastName":"Iwaki","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-04-14 05:53:30","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6442753/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6442753/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":83615957,"identity":"7a0ffdad-7779-41e2-a382-badbac6e6dc3","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-29 13:39:47","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":797658,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"submissionScientificReportsfontembeddedupdated2.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6442753/v1_covered_f4367506-efb2-4522-91f9-aee0a427aaa2.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Neural Representations of Typeface Tuning for Kanji Word Recognition","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Visual word recognition, Typeface, Japanese Kanji word, fMRI, Repetition suppression","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6442753/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6442753/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"Adaptation to various typeface shapes is required to recognize words. 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