Lifelong bilingualism gives seniors mental edge
<p><span word="From">From</span> <span word="VOA">VOA</span> <span word="Learning">Learning</span> <span word="English">English</span>, <span word="this">this</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Health">Health</span> <span word="Report">Report</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="Special">Special</span> <span word="English">English</span>. <span word="A">A</span> <span word="new">new</span> <span word="study">study</span> <span word="adds">adds</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="evidence">evidence</span> <span word="suggesting">suggesting</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="being">being</span> <span word="bilingual">bilingual</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="good">good</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="brain">brain</span>. <span word="In">In</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="study">study</span>, <span word="older">older</span> <span word="adults">adults</span> <span word="who">who</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="spoken">spoken</span> <span word="two">two</span> <span word="languages">languages</span> <span word="since">since</span> <span word="childhood">childhood</span> <span word="showed">showed</span> <span word="better">better</span> <span word="mental">mental</span> <span word="skills">skills</span> <span word="than">than</span> <span word="those">those</span> <span word="who">who</span> <span word="speak">speak</span> <span word="just">just</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="language">language</span>.</p><p><span word="Earlier">Earlier</span> <span word="studies">studies</span> <span word="showed">showed</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="bilingualism">bilingualism</span> <span word="seemed">seemed</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="favor">favor</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="development">development</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="these">these</span> <span word="heightened">heightened</span> <span word="skills">skills</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="authors">authors</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="new">new</span> <span word="study">study</span> <span word="say">say</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="findings">findings</span> <span word="provide">provide</span> <span word="evidence">evidence</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="cognitive">cognitive</span> <span word="advantage">advantage</span> <span word="among">among</span> <span word="older">older</span>, <span word="bilingual">bilingual</span> <span word="adults">adults</span>.</p><p>“<span word="What">What</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="functional">functional</span> <span word="basis">basis</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="advantage">advantage</span>? <span word="Is">Is</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="because">because</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="activate">activate</span> <span word="different">different</span> <span word="parts">parts</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="brain">brain</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="typically">typically</span> <span word="used">used</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="doing">doing</span> <span word="cognitive">cognitive</span> <span word="control">control</span> <span word="tasks">tasks</span>? <span word="Or">Or</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="because">because</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="use">use</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="brain">brain</span> <span word="more">more</span> <span word="efficiently">efficiently</span>?”</p><p><span word="Brian">Brian</span> <span word="Gold">Gold</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="lead">lead</span> <span word="author">author</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="study">study</span>. <span word="Dr">Dr</span>. <span word="Gold">Gold</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="neuroscientist">neuroscientist</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="University">University</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="Kentucky">Kentucky</span> <span word="College">College</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="Medicine">Medicine</span>.</p><p><span word="In">In</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="study">study</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="researchers">researchers</span> <span word="asked">asked</span> <span word="people">people</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="sort">sort</span> <span word="colors">colors</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="shapes">shapes</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="series">series</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="simple">simple</span> <span word="exercises">exercises</span>. <span word="Dr">Dr</span>. <span word="Gold">Gold</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="his">his</span> <span word="colleagues">colleagues</span> <span word="used">used</span> <span word="brain">brain</span> <span word="imaging">imaging</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="compare">compare</span> <span word="how">how</span> <span word="well">well</span> <span word="three">three</span> <span word="groups">groups</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="people">people</span> <span word="switched">switched</span> <span word="among">among</span> <span word="these">these</span> <span word="exercises">exercises</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="groups">groups</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="bilingual">bilingual</span> <span word="seniors">seniors</span>, <span word="monolingual">monolingual</span> <span word="seniors">seniors</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="younger">younger</span> <span word="adults">adults</span>.</p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="imaging">imaging</span> <span word="showed">showed</span> <span word="different">different</span> <span word="patterns">patterns</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="activity">activity</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="frontal">frontal</span> <span word="part">part</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="brain">brain</span>, <span word="in">in</span> <span word="an">an</span> <span word="area">area</span> <span word="used">used</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="processing">processing</span> <span word="such">such</span> <span word="tasks">tasks</span>.</p><p>“<span word="We">We</span> <span word="found">found</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="seniors">seniors</span> <span word="who">who</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="bilingual">bilingual</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="able">able</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="activate">activate</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="brain">brain</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="magnitude">magnitude</span> <span word="closer">closer</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="young">young</span> <span word="subjects">subjects</span>. <span word="So">So</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="don">don</span>’<span word="t">t</span> <span word="need">need</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="expend">expend</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="much">much</span> <span word="effort">effort</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="yet">yet</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="still">still</span> <span word="out">out</span>-<span word="perform">perform</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="monolingual">monolingual</span> <span word="peers">peers</span>, <span word="suggesting">suggesting</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="use">use</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="brain">brain</span> <span word="more">more</span> <span word="efficiently">efficiently</span>.”</p>
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