Pure alexia (PA) is a disorder of reading in the context of preserved language capabilities. The hallmark symptom of PA is a word length effect (WLE), an abnormal increase in reading RT with increased word length (number of letters). While PA is typically associated with damage to the left fusiform, the neural correlates are still debated. Further, questions remain about how ‘pure’ PA is, that is, whether it is a selective reading deficit, or if it is associated with milder deficits in recognition of faces or objects.
We present data on 65 participants with lesions affecting the posterior cerebral artery territory. All participants completed a battery of reading and writing test, including; single word reading with varying word lengths, text reading, irregular and regular word reading and single word writing. Additionally, tests of face and object processing were completed, and lesions were characterised using structural MRI. Preliminary analysis indicates that 27 participants demonstrate a significantly elevated WLE and impaired word reading compared to controls. These participant’s performance on writing and face recognition test will be investigated. Associations between performance on the reading battery and the brain lesions of these participants will also be explored.