Neural correlates of lexical, sublexical and motor processes in word handwriting

• Lexical and sublexical routes for spelling recruit different brain areas. • Anterior parts of the inferior frontal gyrus are involved in lexical spelling. • Areas linked to auditory processing are activated only when writing P-G consistent words. • Most areas recruited by handwriting motor processes are involved in other similar motor tasks. Writing recruits a vast neural network underpinning both linguistic and motor processes. Previous studies have tried to identify which brain areas underpin both the linguistic and motor aspects of writing. However, little is known about the neural substrate of the lexical and sublexical “routes” for spelling. In this fMRI study, participants (n = 25) copied or saw/read symbols or words. Words varied in lexical frequency and phonology-to-orthography (P-O) consistency. Anterior parts of the inferior frontal gyrus were selectively recruited when copying P-O inconsistent words, while the right Heschl’s gyrus was recruited only when copying consistent words. Non-specific motor and linguistic areas were also identified. Our results contribute to our knowledge of the neural substrate of the lexical and sublexical spelling routes and suggest that different brain areas might be involved in the lexical processing of input (reading) and output (writing) orthography.