image: Energy-saving brain activation after reading Manga stories on paper. The yellow circle shows such activation in the language area of the human brain.
Credit: Umejima et al., 2026, PLOS One, CC-BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Japanese Manga stories might be better comprehended when read on paper rather than on digital devices, per experiment which also revealed differences in brain region activation patterns
Article URL: https://plos.io/4wXEGz0
Article title: Manga reading on paper vs. digital devices: Prospective effects on core and supportive integration processes in the brain
Author countries: Japan.
Funding: This research received funding from COAMIX INC. This research was also supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists (no. 24K16045 to KU) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. There was no additional external funding received for this study.
Journal
PLOS One
Article Title
Manga reading on paper vs. digital devices: Prospective effects on core and supportive integration processes in the brain
Article Publication Date
3-Jun-2026
COI Statement
The study received funding from COAMIX INC; this does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials. The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest, including any employment, consultancy, patents, products in development, or marketed products with this commercial founder.