Bilingualism can Protect Against Age-related Brain Problems

NewsBeezer, 26 Mar 2024, Bilingualism can protect against age-related brain problems (https://newsbeezer.com/bilingualism-can-protect-against-age-related-brain-problems/)

Summary: Bilingualism can serve as an effective remedy for age-related cognitive decline, particularly in areas of social cognition such as theory of mind. A new study shows that early bilingualism leads to beneficial structural changes in the brain, including increased gray matter volume and greater cortical thickness, which contribute to stronger cognitive reserve.

This cognitive reserve is crucial for maintaining social cognitive skills into old age and highlights the potential of bilingualism to improve mental flexibility and attentional control. The results suggest that the earlier a second language is learned, the better protection against cognitive impairment that comes with age.

Important facts:

• Early bilingualism strengthens the brain structure: Early second language learning is associated with greater gray matter volume and cortical thickness, promoting strong cognitive reserve.
• Protection against age-related decay: This cognitive reserve helps maintain social cognitive skills, such as understanding the mental states of others, despite aging.
• Lifetime Benefits: The study highlights the importance of bilingualism for healthier aging and promotes early language learning to maintain cognitive function and social cognition later in life.

As we age, changes occur in both the body and the brain. Certain areas of the brain shrink and communication between neurons becomes less effective.

“Such structural and functional changes lead to age-related decline in cognitive function, affecting language, processing speed, memory and planning abilities,” said Yow Wei Quin, a professor at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).

There is evidence that learning and using a second language leads to structural and functional changes in the bilingual brain. Photo credit: Neuroscience News
Cognitive reserve, the brain’s ability to adapt and compensate for deterioration or damage, allows an individual to use alternative pathways and brain regions to perform tasks. Naturally related to cognitive reserve is its neural basis, brain reserve, which is defined by desirable neuroanatomical properties such as larger brain size and more neuronal synapses.

“These reserves underline the flexibility and resilience of the brain. A person with greater reserves is likely to maintain good cognitive function even as they age,” Prof Yow added.

Bilingualism is one of the many lifestyle factors that contribute to cognitive reserve. Bilinguals’ ability to constantly navigate between languages ​​and communicate with people from different backgrounds could improve their ability to interpret social signals.

In addition, knowledge of multiple languages ​​is associated with greater mental flexibility, attention control, and working memory – skills important for social cognition and theory of mind, i.e. the ability to understand other people’s behavior by giving them mental information Attributes states such as beliefs and emotions.

Previous studies of children and young adults have shown that bilingual language experiences have a positive impact on theory of mind skills. But would this social cognitive improvement persist into later life?

This is the question that Prof. Yow and her research colleague Dr. Li Xiaoqian wanted to answer. In their paper, “Brain gray matter morphometry is associated with the onset of bilingualism and theory of mind in young and older adults,” the SUTD team and collaborators from the National University of Singapore (NUS) showed that early bilingualism Theory of mind abilities may protect against normal ability declines.

There is evidence that learning and using a second language leads to structural and functional changes in the bilingual brain. The research team hypothesized that early acquisition of a second language could influence brain function and also create more efficient structural properties in the brain that would provide reserves to counteract age-related decline in social cognition.

What kind of changes in the brain would early bilingualism produce that would enable it to retain social cognitions, particularly theory of mind? Some researchers suggest that the connection between bilingualism and social cognition manifests itself in brain areas involved in mental state inferences, while others suggest areas involved in language or cognitive control processes.

In this work, Prof. Yow and the team found that early bilingualism and better social cognitive performance in both young and old adults are associated with higher gray matter volume, greater cortical thickness and greater surface area in the aforementioned brain regions were connected.

Their study suggests that the earlier a second language is learned, the more desirable structural changes occur in the brain and the more cognitive reserves are built to protect social cognitive processes from age-related decline.

These social cognitive skills, particularly theory of mind, are critical to understanding the thoughts and feelings of others. The current work provided new evidence that bilingualism has benefits beyond language skills and executive functions. It supported the idea that bilingualism preserves social cognition later in life, staves off age-related decline and contributes to healthier aging.

The paper’s co-first author, Dr. Li Xiaoqian, from SUTD, added: “Our results highlight the potential social-cognitive benefits associated with acquiring a second language at a young age.”

This could encourage parents and educators to support early bilingual education and lifelong bilingualism. While age-related neurocognitive decline is natural and often manageable, delaying the process is important to allow people to live longer independent lives.

Bilingualism can enrich and preserve social cognitive functioning, allowing a person to participate in activities they enjoy, maintain relationships, and perhaps even reduce the need for care later in life.

This study is part of a larger project on age-related psychological and neurological changes in social cognition. In parallel with this study, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were also collected from individuals completing social-cognitive tasks.

In the future, the research team plans to use the behavioral and neuroimaging data collected to further investigate the effects of bilingualism on social cognitive functions.