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Open Access 01-04-2022 | Original Article

The effects of bilingualism on hippocampal volume in ageing bilinguals

Authors: Toms Voits, Holly Robson, Jason Rothman, Christos Pliatsikas

Published in: Brain Structure and Function | Issue 3/2022

Abstract

Long-term management of more than one language has been argued to contribute to changes in brain and cognition. This has been particularly well documented in older age, where bilingualism has been linked to protective effects against neurocognitive decline. Since memory difficulties are key aspects of this decline, herein we examine potential effects of bilingualism on the hippocampus, a brain structure related to memory that is particularly vulnerable to cognitive ageing. Hippocampal volume has been shown to increase as a result of second language learning and use in younger adults. However, it is unknown if this is maintained throughout the lifespan. We examine hippocampal volume and episodic memory performance in a participant sample consisting of healthy older individuals with a wide range of experiences in exposure and using a second language. Results reveal greater hippocampal volume calibrated to degree of quantified dual language use. Our results mirror those of immersive active bilingualism in younger populations, suggesting that long-term active bilingualism leads to neuroprotective effects in the hippocampus. We discuss this in the context of literature proposing bilingualism-induced brain reserve in the older age.

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Given the participant age, we did not use age of acquisition as a reliable predictor as many bilingual individuals reported learning English at school, which may not accurately portray the actual engagement in English use across the lifespan and at the time of testing.

A version of Model 3 was also envisaged with L2 home and L2 social use scores as measures of bilingualism, and the interaction of two, instead of the LSBQ composite score. However, as these scores heavily contribute to the LSBQ composite score (L2 Home and L2 Social scores have 33% and 30% weighting in the BCS calculation), and they were highly correlated between them (cor = 0.95; p < 0.001), it was deemed inappropriate to include these scores as separate predictors in the same model as they introduce multicollinearity issues.

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Title: The effects of bilingualism on hippocampal volume in ageing bilinguals
Authors: Toms Voits
Holly Robson
Jason Rothman
Christos Pliatsikas
Publication date: 01-04-2022
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in: Brain Structure and Function / Issue 3/2022
Print ISSN: 1863-2653
Electronic ISSN: 1863-2661
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-021-02436-z

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

The effects of bilingualism on hippocampal volume in ageing bilinguals

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At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Abstract

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