New
research reveals that bilingualism has a positive effect on cognition later in
life. Findings published in Annals of Neurology, a journal of the
American Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society, show that
individuals who speak two or more languages, even those who acquired the second
language in adulthood, may slow down cognitive decline from aging.
Bilingualism
is thought to improve cognition and delay dementia in older adults. While prior
research has investigated the impact of learning more than one language, ruling
out "reverse causality" has proven difficult. The crucial question is
whether people improve their cognitive functions through learning new languages
or whether those with better baseline cognitive functions are more likely to
become bilingual.
"Our
study is the first to examine whether learning a second language impacts
cognitive performance later in life while controlling for childhood
intelligence," says lead author Dr. Thomas Bak from the Centre for
Cognitive Aging and Cognitive Epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh.
For
the current study, researchers relied on data from the Lothian Birth Cohort
1936, comprised of 835 native speakers of English who were born and living in
the area of Edinburgh, Scotland. The participants were given an intelligence
test in 1947 at age 11 years and retested in their early 70s, between 2008 and
2010. Two hundred and sixty two participants reported to be able to communicate
in at least one language other than English. Of those, 195 learned the second
language before age 18, 65 thereafter.
Findings
indicate that those who spoke two or more languages had significantly better
cognitive abilities compared to what would be expected from their baseline. The
strongest effects were seen in general intelligence and reading. The effects
were present in those who acquired their second language early as well as late.
The
Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 forms the Disconnected Mind project at the University
of Edinburgh, funded by Age UK. The work was undertaken by The University of
Edinburgh Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, part of the
cross council Lifelong Health and Wellbeing Initiative (MR/K026992/1) and has
been made possible thanks to funding from the Biotechnology and Biological
Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Medical Research Council (MRC).
"The
Lothian Birth Cohort offers a unique opportunity to study the interaction
between bilingualism and cognitive aging, taking into account the cognitive abilities
predating the acquisition of a second language" concludes Dr. Bak.
"These findings are of considerable practical relevance. Millions of
people around the world acquire their second language later in life. Our study
shows that bilingualism, even when acquired in adulthood, may benefit the aging
brain."
After
reviewing the study, Dr. Alvaro Pascual-Leone, an Associate Editor for Annals
of Neurology and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston,
Mass. said, "The epidemiological study by Dr. Bak and colleagues provides
an important first step in understanding the impact of learning a second
language and the aging brain. This research paves the way for future causal
studies of bilingualism and cognitive decline prevention."
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