Visual word recognition and reading are central to human communication. Still, literacy rates are declining, increasing the need for better reading education and interventions for readers with low skill levels. At the beginning of such developments, one must understand the cognitions underlying reading. Here, we combine presentations that provide current developments in reading research, investigating how language, script, and memory influence visual word recognition processes in behavior and brain activation. We will start with a study by Sabrina Turker, which investigates the influence of language and memory skills on reading disabilities. The second study, by Benjamin Gagl, examines the influence of which items are stored in the lexicon on orthographic processing in visual word recognition behavior and brain responses. The third study, by Amelie Hague, investigates script familiarity on brain response dynamics. The fourth study, by Maz Mohamed, analyzes how learning to read in different languages influences the process of lexical access. Finally, Jana Hasenäcker presents a large-scale study of German lexicon decision data, which is essential to exploring novel hypotheses built on consensus-based guidelines, embracing open science methodology. The symposium relies on behavioral and brain findings across studies using implemented theoretical approaches through computational models, and offers an overview of the availability of novel datasets. Thus, this symposium delivers a comprehensive update on the neuro-cognitive processes implemented in reading and visual word recognition, including current theoretical advancements.