Mastery of a second language: a preventative remedy against Alzheimer’s disease? While there is no certainty about this complex relationship, studies already show that bilingualism is beneficial for cognition and brain structure.
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Although the world is organized into some 200 countries, there are more than 6,000 languages and dialects. Therefore, many people are bilingual, that is to say capable of speaking two distinct languages fluently. These people have a brain capable of selecting which language to use depending on the context and inhibiting the other.
Previous research supports that bilingualism impacts cognition and brain structure. “ Being bilingual means managing a wider range of options in terms of language and culture, being able to direct attention, manage a mental map, etc. Depending on ability and experience, this may both require and provide greater cognitive resources », explains Miquel Serra, external consultant in bioethics at the University of Barcelona for The Conversation.
Maintaining your “brain capital” through languages
We can then ask ourselves the question of the benefit of bilingualism in delaying brain aging and protecting it from dementia. The Alzheimer Foundation reminds us that it is necessary to maintain and develop one’s “brain capital” to fight against the appearance of symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease: “ The brain being a complex organ but plasticplasticconnections between nerve cells can be created throughout our lives during new acquisitions and new learning which maintain our brain capital. » Indeed, there are two forms of bilingualism depending on the moment of learning a language: the “early”, which is acquired in early childhood, and the “successive”, when the second language is integrated later into the life.
But even today, the effectiveness of bilingualism in the fight against cognitive decline is the subject of debate.
What do we know about the link between bilingualism and cognitive decline?
According to a study published in Neuropsychology, bilingualism would lead to protective anatomical and functional modifications in areas of the brain that can be affected by Alzheimer’s disease. Bilingual subjects notably have a cortexcortex thicker in areas of language control and executive functions (the set of cognitive abilities necessary to control behavior). The use of skills linked to bilingualism would even be correlated with a delay in the appearance of symptoms of Alzheimer’s diseaseAlzheimer’s disease and a postponement of diagnosticdiagnostic clinical compared to individuals speaking only one language.
A study published last year in this same journal indicates that bilingualism positively affects mattermatter white associated with aging. “ The results of our analysis indicate that increased engagement in bilingual language use across the lifespan is correlated with slower decline inintegrityintegrity of the white substancewhite substance with age », note the researchers.
Bilingualism is associated with an increase in compensatory mechanisms for age-related neurocognitive decline, thus delaying the onset of dementia symptoms. It is probably not too late to learn a second language and protect your brain from aging and the diseases associated with it…
