Delaying Onset of Dementia: Are Two Languages Enough?
There is an emerging literature suggesting that speaking two or more languages may significantly delay the onset of dementia. Although the mechanisms are unknown, it has been suggested that these may involve cognitive reserve, a concept that has been associated with factors such as higher levels of...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2014-01-01
|
| Series: | Behavioural Neurology |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/808137 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832568483235233792 |
|---|---|
| author | Morris Freedman Suvarna Alladi Howard Chertkow Ellen Bialystok Fergus I. M. Craik Natalie A. Phillips Vasanta Duggirala Surampudi Bapi Raju Thomas H. Bak |
| author_facet | Morris Freedman Suvarna Alladi Howard Chertkow Ellen Bialystok Fergus I. M. Craik Natalie A. Phillips Vasanta Duggirala Surampudi Bapi Raju Thomas H. Bak |
| author_sort | Morris Freedman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | There is an emerging literature suggesting that speaking two or more languages may significantly delay the onset of dementia. Although the mechanisms are unknown, it has been suggested that these may involve cognitive reserve, a concept that has been associated with factors such as higher levels of education, occupational status, social networks, and physical exercise. In the case of bilingualism, cognitive reserve may involve reorganization and strengthening of neural networks that enhance executive control. We review evidence for protective effects of bilingualism from a multicultural perspective involving studies in Toronto and Montreal, Canada, and Hyderabad, India. Reports from Toronto and Hyderabad showed a significant effect of speaking two or more languages in delaying onset of Alzheimer’s disease by up to 5 years, whereas the Montreal study showed a significant protective effect of speaking at least four languages and a protective effect of speaking at least two languages in immigrants. Although there were differences in results across studies, a common theme was the significant effect of language use history as one of the factors in determining the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Moreover, the Hyderabad study extended the findings to frontotemporal dementia and vascular dementia. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2bc9a8f31f6e4a7e9e7eb61dac97649b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0953-4180 1875-8584 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2014-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Behavioural Neurology |
| spelling | doaj-art-2bc9a8f31f6e4a7e9e7eb61dac97649b2025-02-03T00:58:59ZengWileyBehavioural Neurology0953-41801875-85842014-01-01201410.1155/2014/808137808137Delaying Onset of Dementia: Are Two Languages Enough?Morris Freedman0Suvarna Alladi1Howard Chertkow2Ellen Bialystok3Fergus I. M. Craik4Natalie A. Phillips5Vasanta Duggirala6Surampudi Bapi Raju7Thomas H. Bak8Department of Medicine, Division of Neurology, Baycrest, Toronto, ON, M6A 2E1, CanadaDepartment of Neurology, Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences, Punjagutta, Hyderabad 500 082, IndiaBloomfield Centre for Research in Aging, Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research and Jewish General Hospital/McGill University Memory Clinic, Jewish General Hospital, 3744 Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Montreal, QC, H3T 1E2, CanadaRotman Research Institute, Baycrest, 3560 Bathurst Street, Toronto, ON, M6A 2E1, CanadaRotman Research Institute, Baycrest, 3560 Bathurst Street, Toronto, ON, M6A 2E1, CanadaBloomfield Centre for Research in Aging, Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research and Jewish General Hospital/McGill University Memory Clinic, Jewish General Hospital, 3744 Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Montreal, QC, H3T 1E2, CanadaDepartment of Linguistics, University College of Arts & Social Sciences, Osmania University, Hyderabad 500 007, IndiaCentre for Neural and Cognitive Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Gachibowli, Hyderabad 500 046, IndiaHuman Cognitive Neuroscience and Centre for Cognitive Aging and Cognitive Epidemiology School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, 7 George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UKThere is an emerging literature suggesting that speaking two or more languages may significantly delay the onset of dementia. Although the mechanisms are unknown, it has been suggested that these may involve cognitive reserve, a concept that has been associated with factors such as higher levels of education, occupational status, social networks, and physical exercise. In the case of bilingualism, cognitive reserve may involve reorganization and strengthening of neural networks that enhance executive control. We review evidence for protective effects of bilingualism from a multicultural perspective involving studies in Toronto and Montreal, Canada, and Hyderabad, India. Reports from Toronto and Hyderabad showed a significant effect of speaking two or more languages in delaying onset of Alzheimer’s disease by up to 5 years, whereas the Montreal study showed a significant protective effect of speaking at least four languages and a protective effect of speaking at least two languages in immigrants. Although there were differences in results across studies, a common theme was the significant effect of language use history as one of the factors in determining the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Moreover, the Hyderabad study extended the findings to frontotemporal dementia and vascular dementia.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/808137 |
| spellingShingle | Morris Freedman Suvarna Alladi Howard Chertkow Ellen Bialystok Fergus I. M. Craik Natalie A. Phillips Vasanta Duggirala Surampudi Bapi Raju Thomas H. Bak Delaying Onset of Dementia: Are Two Languages Enough? Behavioural Neurology |
| title | Delaying Onset of Dementia: Are Two Languages Enough? |
| title_full | Delaying Onset of Dementia: Are Two Languages Enough? |
| title_fullStr | Delaying Onset of Dementia: Are Two Languages Enough? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Delaying Onset of Dementia: Are Two Languages Enough? |
| title_short | Delaying Onset of Dementia: Are Two Languages Enough? |
| title_sort | delaying onset of dementia are two languages enough |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/808137 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT morrisfreedman delayingonsetofdementiaaretwolanguagesenough AT suvarnaalladi delayingonsetofdementiaaretwolanguagesenough AT howardchertkow delayingonsetofdementiaaretwolanguagesenough AT ellenbialystok delayingonsetofdementiaaretwolanguagesenough AT fergusimcraik delayingonsetofdementiaaretwolanguagesenough AT natalieaphillips delayingonsetofdementiaaretwolanguagesenough AT vasantaduggirala delayingonsetofdementiaaretwolanguagesenough AT surampudibapiraju delayingonsetofdementiaaretwolanguagesenough AT thomashbak delayingonsetofdementiaaretwolanguagesenough |