When we learn how to write , our brain does not learn the individual lettering of words - instead it is tuned to remember how the word appears as a whole . That 's the finding of a new study that has shown how neurons respond differently to real words compared to so-called 'nonsense ' words . During tests , brain scans revealed the new words appear as shapes rather than a group of letters in what researchers behind the study have dubbed a 'visual dictionary . ' When we learn how to write , our brain does n't learn individual letters , instead it is tuned to remember how the word appears as a whole , according to new research . Brain scans revealed neurons respond differently to real words compared to so-called 'nonsense ' words in what 's been dubbed 'visual dictionary ' The study , carried out at Georgetown University Medical Centre , suggests brain is 'holistically tuned ' to recognise complete words , according to the researchers . Lead author Dr Maximilian Riesenhuber from the Laboratory for Computational Cognitive Neuroscience said : 'We are not recognising words by quickly spelling them out or identifying parts of words , as some researchers have suggested . 'Instead , neurons in a small brain area remember how the whole word looks - using what could be called a visual dictionary . ' The small area in the brain called the visual word form area is found in the left side of the visual cortex , opposite the fusiform face area on the right side , which remembers how faces look . The study published in the Journal of Neuroscience looked at the brain activity of 25 adults who had learn a set of 150 nonsense words . For the research the part of the brain associated with learning was examined using functional magnetic resonance imaging ( fMRI ) , before and after participants learnt the new words . Using the fMRI-rapid adaptation , the team found the visual word form area changed as the participants learned the nonsense words . Before learning the words , neurons responded as though the training words were nonsense words . However over time , the neurons began to respond as though they were learning real words . The researchers said this shows the brain is 'holistically tuned ' to recognise complete words , and may also provide insights into how to help people with reading disabilities . Dr Riesenhuber added : 'One area is selective for a whole face , allowing us to quickly recognise people , and the other is selective for a whole word , which helps us read quickly . ' The study , published in the Journal of Neuroscience , looked at the brain activity of 25 adults who had learn a set of 150 nonsense words . For the research the part of the brain associated with learning was examined using functional magnetic resonance imaging ( fMRI ) . Images of the brain were taken before and after participants learnt the new words . From this , the team found the visual word form area changed as the participants learned the 'nonsense ' words . Before learning the words , neurons responded as though the training words were nonsense words . But over time , the neurons began to respond as though they were learning real words . Co-author Dr Laurie Glezer said : 'This study is the first of its kind to show how neurons change their tuning with learning words , demonstrating the brain 's plasticity . ' The researchers said the study shows how the brain processes words , but may also provide insights into how to help people with reading disabilities . Dr Riesenhuber said : 'For people who can not learn words by phonetically spelling them out - which is the usual method for teaching reading - learning the whole word as a visual object may be a good strategy . ' In particular , the team found the visual word form area in the fusiform gyrus ( shown in purple ) changed as the participants learned the 'nonsense ' words . The neurons began by responding to the training words as if they were nonsense , but over time , these neurons began to respond as though they were learning real words . Following a previous study carried out by the team published in 2009 , the researchers were contacted by a number of people who had experienced reading difficulties and teachers helping people with reading difficulties , all saying that learning word as visual objects had helped a great deal . That study showed the existence of a neural representation for whole written real words - also known as an orthographic lexicon . The latest research now shows how novel words can become incorporated after learning into this lexicon . Dr Riesenhuber said : 'The visual word form area does not care how the word sounds , just how the letters of the word look together . 'The fact that this kind of learning only happens in one very small part of the brain is a nice example of selective plasticity in the brain . '
researchers studied the brain activity of adults learning 150 ' nonsense ' words . Part of the brain associated with autism was examined using functional magnetic resonance imaging ( CT ) in volunteers taking part in the study . It showed the visual ##ised form area changed as people learnt fake words . Over time , neurons responded as though they were learning real words . Study showed this shows the brain is ' tuned ' to learn complete words . Researchers have dubbed this mechanism the brain 's ' visual dictionary ' It may help develop new ways of teaching people with reading disabilities .