Numbing the Mouth May Unlock Faster Reading, New study Suggests
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A surprising connection between oral sensation adn brain activity could pave the way for new treatments for dyslexia and other reading difficulties.
Parents often encourage children learning to read to “sound out” words, a process deeply rooted in the interplay between speech and language. Groundbreaking research from the University of Alberta suggests this connection is far more profound – and potentially exploitable – than previously understood. A new study indicates that temporarily numbing the mouth can actually improve reading speed in proficient readers.
The Mouth-Brain Connection: A Novel Approach to Literacy
The research, published under the alliterative title “perturbing the pathway: The impact of lollipops and lidocaine on supramarginal gyrus activity during silent reading tasks,” reveals a complex interplay between the sensory areas of the mouth and the brain regions responsible for reading and speech. Researchers hypothesize that this connection stems from the brain’s natural tendency to verify written words against their expected pronunciation.
“Our research is definitely bridging a gap between a couple areas of research that are often overlooking one another even though they are so tightly coupled,” explained a led researcher, a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine. “It will help inform the importance of considering speech mechanisms in helping people learn how to read,especially people who struggle with reading.”
Lollipop and Lidocaine: Disrupting sensory Input
The study involved 30 adults with no known reading difficulties. Participants completed two reading tasks – identifying real words from letter strings and recognizing words based on their sound – while undergoing brain scans. Crucially, these tasks were performed under three different conditions: with no oral stimulation, with a lollipop on the tongue, and after applying lidocaine to numb the mouth.
Researchers monitored brain activity in regions associated with reading and speech, specifically looking for how disruptions to oral sensation impacted performance. They found that when participants’ mouths were numbed with lidocaine, some individuals demonstrated faster reading speeds without sacrificing accuracy. Conversely, the presence of a lollipop increased activity in the sensory areas of the brain.
“We wanted to see how disruptions to the sensory areas in the mouth while reading could affect performance,” the researcher explained. “We certainly know already that when you’re reading a new word, your mouth sends information to the sensory parts of your brain. If it detects incongruencies with how that word should sound or feel, it will send a corrective command to the motor parts of your brain to tell it how to correct it and say it better on your next attempt.”
Preliminary Findings, Promising Implications
While the effects observed were “subtle” and require further investigation, the results suggest that oral somatosensory input – the sensation of touch and movement in the mouth – plays a meaningful role in reading-related brain activity. The team acknowledges the need for larger studies and exploration across diverse reading tasks and populations.
“Taken together, these preliminary and modest effects suggest that oral somatosensory input influences reading-related brain activity and inter-regional connectivity,” the researcher stated. “It’s a subtle affect, so we don’t know how these effects generalize to other reading tasks or populations. That’s something we want to explore more.”
Future research and Potential for Dyslexia Treatment
The next phase of research will focus on individuals with dyslexia, a learning disorder affecting an estimated 5 to 10 percent of the population, according to Dyslexia Canada. The findings could lead to innovative interventions, potentially expanding the role of speech-language pathologists in addressing reading difficulties.
the researcher emphasized the importance of further exploration, stating, “The importance of somatosensory feedback in reading definitely warrants more targeted exploration to better our understanding of the relationship between speech-motor processes and reading ability.” This research,funded in part by a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada,represents a potentially transformative step toward understanding and overcoming the challenges of reading.
