Cortical activity associated with vocalization and reading proper.

To determine whether motor and premotor areas are involved in silent reading, we report a positron emission tomography study on reading aloud and covert reading. The anterior insula, primary sensorimotor cortex and supplementary motor area were activated separately in reading aloud compared with covert reading, but they were not activated in covert reading compared with fixation control, nor in a conjunction involving reading aloud and covert reading, suggesting the role of articulation or vocalization.