Research summary
People need literacy skills to succeed at school, at work and in social situations. While everyday tasks like texting or posting social media updates feel effortless to most people, the co-ordination of brain signals that goes on behind the scenes when we complete such tasks is nothing short of elegant.
Dr. Jacqueline Cummine, Canada Research Chair in Neuroscience in Literacy, is studying how the brain is wired to support literacy. She and her research team are exploring how the various regions of the brain “talk” to one another to make activities like writing an email feel automatic. Such research is important in today’s society, where academic, professional and social media platforms all rely heavily on our ability to communicate fluidly in writing.